KNOXVILLE, TENN (WVLT) -- Aldi Food Market and GFS Wholesale foods have recently opened on Kingston Pike in West Knoxville.

These stores have opened right across the street from an existing Kroger, that will soon move into a brand new store right next door.
Down the street, a new Costco store is being built and expected to open in the fall of this year. The Town of Farragut believes the new store will benefit the entire region when it opens.

"Costco is going to benefit a lot of people," said Mayor Ralph McGill. "They'll have a lot of employees, they'll come from all over, not just Farragut and their salary package is very good."

McGill is also excited about a new Publix set to open in the town. Publix plans on opening 3 stores in Knoxville in the coming months, one of which will be located at the new Northshore development along with Target.

"We on average hire 100-125 associates per location. So we will have plenty of folks to serve the knoxville community," said Brenda Reid, Media & Community Relations Manager for Publix.

Reid says the amount of full time verses part time positions varries depending on what each store needs. However, Mayor McGill says any jobs and expansion in this economy is welcome. He says stores are picking Farragut, as it was named the best place to do business in the state of Tennessee.

"We've been successfull and very blessed," he added. "That's good news in this economy. I think this is going to be a good year, and an even better year next year."

John Turley, a local Knoxville developer, says that he believes the next 3 years are going to be good for growth in Knoxville. He says the expansions we see now show that tenants have confidence in the future.

"Our tenants have done projections that show double digit growth in the next 3 years," said Turley. "I think they are very confident in the future."

The Town of Farragut reports big revenues from sales taxes from stores in Turkey Creek last year. Mayor McGill added that "sales taxes are up substantially from last year."

At Publix, Reid says that competition makes everyone better, and makes for better prices for the consumer.