Sunday, February 9, 2025

C&S To Acquire Winn-Dixie Name and 350 SEG Locations from ALDI

ALDI to Sell Off a Reported 170 Supermarkets, Winn-Dixie and Harveys Names

Your source for continuing coverage of the ALDI-Southeastern Grocers merger.

Published on February 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM; Updated on February 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM

In a partially expected move, Reuters reported earlier today that C&S Wholesale Grocers has formed a deal with ALDI to purchase roughly 170 current Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets and 170 Winn-Dixie liquor stores from the German grocer. This was followed up by an official press release from SEG confirming the sale, and that C&S would be joined by "a consortium of private investors."

This plan leaves roughly 128 operational Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores with the discounter following the ongoing conversion of 97 locations to the ALDI nameplate. The press release stated that ALDI intends to convert these pre-determined stores to the discount brand through 2027. That being said, these supermarkets will likely operate under some sort of licensing agreement for the foreseeable future. The press release specifically states that, "SEG will continue to operate the remaining stores identified for conversion in the normal course of business, with the same level of care and focus on quality and service, up to and until each respective store is closed for conversion." Now the question remains on if and when a formal list will be unveiled.

Courtesy Southeastern Grocers - SEG Headquarters

You may remember that C&S has operated Southeastern Grocers' distribution since 2013 but also has a history of operating supermarkets of its own. Reuters mentions how the company currently runs nearly two dozen Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union stores in the Northeast; however, it also has experience running the doomed Southern Family Markets following (and preceding) the many bankruptcies resulting from the mismanagement of the Bruno's chain.

In contrast to this history, current Southeastern Grocers Chair, CEO, and President Anthony Hucker is stated to remain with the brand as it changes ownership. He mentions that, "Throughout this transformational journey, our commitment to thoughtful, purpose-driven growth remains strong and propels us forward with renewed momentum."

It is worth noting that C&S also made headlines last year when it announced it would purchase 579 divested stores from the failed Kroger-Albertsons merger. This deal obviously fell through when the merger was struck down in court, despite C&S already arranging financing for such a large acquisition.

Courtesy Southeastern Grocers - Winn-Dixie #96

It seems that ALDI jumped on this opportunity as a chance to sell off the unwanted Southeastern Grocers stores and pivoted from the reported plans of selling these 170 stores at auction to independent outlets. That original plan supposedly included a complete exit from the Greater Florida Panhandle region (which meant selling roughly 50 stores), along with a coordinated exit from several other DMAs on the western fringes of Winn-Dixie's territory. I presume that some of this may still come into play.

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Courtesy Winn-Dixie (Instagram) - Winn-Dixie #7

In a separate press release, ALDI CEO Jason Hart said, "When we announced our acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, we shared that we intended for a meaningful number of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets to continue to operate, and we're delivering on that promise while also supporting ALDI growth. Over the last year, we've seen firsthand how C&S Wholesale Grocers, Southeastern Grocers and their teams have continued to deliver great quality, service and value to their customers, and we are confident they will lead the company successfully into its next chapter."

"Converting the remaining locations to the ALDI format is critically important to our nationwide commitment to help shoppers fill their carts with quality groceries for less. As shoppers continue to feel sticker shock at the checkout, the value ALDI delivers can't be beat," added Hart.

The formal press release from Southeastern Grocers is included below:

Despite there not being an official list of locations sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, The MFR Team, along with several commenters, has put together a collection of Winn-Dixie stores presumed as being safe from converting to ALDI. The primary factor in these selections is proximity to an existing ALDI location. Note that this will likely change and is pure conjecture.

Alabama:

#428 in Wetumpka

#435 in Birmingham (Transformational store)

#445 in Birmingham (Transformational store)

#448 in Montgomery (2.3 miles from ALDI)

#458 in Fultondale

#461 in Trussville

#496 in Jasper

#527 in Prattville (2.3 miles from ALDI)

#570 in Foley

#572 in Mobile

#599 in Fairhope

Possibly #447 in Anniston (4.3 miles - It's a little too far for comfort, but the area already has several ALDI stores)

Possibly #437 in Opelika (5.9 miles - but again, the town isn't huge and ALDI has the better location of the two)

Florida:

#7 in Jacksonville (This one is s stretch of a hope, but if there was any one store that Winn-Dixie forced ALDI to back down from, it would be their flagship.)

#8 in Orange Park

#77 in St. Augustine

#85 in Starke

#86 in Tallahassee

#93 in Middleburg

#153 in Jacksonville

#176 in Jacksonville

#180 in Yulee

#246 in Miami Gardens

#290 in Ft. Lauderdate

#331 in Okeechobee

#345 in Deerfield Beach

#349 in Margate

#364 in Stuart

#371 in Cutler Bay

#436 in Lynn Haven

#501 in Navarre

#507 in Pace

#538 in Parker

#619 in Sun City Center

#711 in Spring Hill

#2203 in Edgewater

#2219 in Dunellon

#2234 in Apopka

#2238 in St. Cloud

#2244 in Palm Coast

#2247 in Palm Coast

#2258 in Holly Hill

#2266 in Fern Park

#2269 in Orlando

#2304 in New Smyrna Beach

#2388 in Altamonte Springs

#2409 in St. Petersburg

#2415 in Tampa

#2435 in Plant City

#2448 in Palmetto

#2454 in Seffner

#2475 in Riverview

#2495 in Seffner

#2509 in Riverview

#2519 in Bradenton

#2545 in The Villages

#2556 in Jacksonville

#2557 in Viera

#2564 in Gainesville

#2568 in W. Melbourne

#2570 in Ft. Myers

Georgia:

#140 in Valdosta

#439 in Columbus

#443 in Columbus

Louisiana:

#1412 in Kenner

#1440 in Marrero

#1583 in LaPlace

Mississippi:

#2636 in Hattiesburg (1.5 miles from Aldi)

Places to watch for more conversions:

Montgomery, AL

Dothan, AL

Inverness, FL

Palm Bay, FL

Emerald Coast, FL

North Central Florida (smaller towns)
Florida Peninsula (obviously)

Brunswick, GA

Douglas, GA

Middle Georgia (Harveys)

This story is still breaking, so stay tuned for future updates.

Remember to keep track of every announced Aldi conversion on this page, read up on our initial reactions to the deal here, or see what Aldi promised when the deal closed in March here.

Friday, February 7, 2025

Winn-Dixie to Aldi Conversions - Rolling List

List of Winn-Dixie stores converting to Aldi

Your source for continuing coverage of the Aldi-Southeastern Grocers merger.

Last updated: February 7, 2025

Breaking News (2/7/2025): C&S Wholesale Grocers is Purchasing 170 Southeastern Grocers Supermarkets and the Winn-Dixie brand.

Following the recent news of Aldi's completed acquisition of all Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets, we have now begun to see plans to convert several SEG locations to the German discount format trickle out. With this, your Southeastern Retail Bloggers have decided to compile a rolling list of all stores we've uncovered that are set to change as part of the "negotiated takeover". All of the locations below have been independently verified by the MFR team using either official building permits, construction plans listed on bid sites, Aldi's website, or other news outlets. We plan to update this list as new stores are uncovered.

Alabama (11/39 Stores Converted):

Winn-Dixie #0411 | Clanton, AL | Closure reportedly delayed | *Unconfirmed by MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0479 | Englewood Village | 9750 Hwy 69 S | Tuscaloosa, AL | Winn Win | February 16, 2025 / March 9, 2025

Winn-Dixie #0543 | 1952 W Dallas Ave | Selma, AL | Down Down | February 16, 2025 *60 days from job postings / March 16, 2025 *Suspected closure date

Florida (64/297 Stores Converted):

Winn-Dixie #0002 | Jacksonville, FL | Closure reportedly delayed | *Unconfirmed by MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0018 | Neptune Beach, FL *Unconfirmed by MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0112 | Saint Augustine, FL *Unconfirmed by MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0174 | Jacksonville, FL *Unconfirmed by the MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0186 | 2629 Crawfordville Hwy | Crawfordville, FL | Down Down | January 26, 2025

Winn-Dixie #0197 | 300 SW 16th Ave | Gainesville, FL | Down Down | December 8, 2024

Winn-Dixie #0305 | The Marketplace | 8867 SE Bridge Rd | Hobe Sound, FL | Winn Win

Winn-Dixie #0355 | Delmar Shopping Plaza | 7024 Beracasa Way | Boca Raton, FL | Down Down

Winn-Dixie #0566 | Fort Walton Beach, FL | Early April *Unconfirmed by the MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #0683 | Zephyrhills Marketplace | 36348 State Road 54 | Zephyrhills, FL | Down Down

Winn-Dixie #0720 | 4100 McCall Rd | Englewood, FL | Winn Win | February 23, 2025 *Suspected closure date

Winn-Dixie #2313 | 2880 Howland Blvd | Deltona, FL | Down Down | September 15, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2354 | 995 Sebastian Blvd | Sebastian, FL | Winn Win | January 5, 2024 *60 days from job postings / March 2, 2025

Winn-Dixie #2366 | Vero Beach, FL *Unconfirmed by the MFR Team

Winn-Dixie #2404 | 5805 Manatee Ave | Bradenton, FL | Winn Win | December 15, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2411 | 6851 Gulfport Blvd | South Pasadena, FL | Sweetbay

Winn-Dixie #2413 | 15692 N Dale Mabry Hwy | Tampa, FL | Down Down | September 29, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2421 | 1651 SE Hwy 19 | Crystal River, FL | Winn Win | November 17, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2425 | 1360 Tampa Rd | Palm Harbor, FL | Sweetbay | April 6, 2025 *Reported closure date / April 20, 2025 *Suspected closure date

Winn-Dixie #2427 | 1254 Jacaranda Blvd | Venice, FL | Winn Win | April 20, 2025 *Suspected closure date

Winn-Dixie #2429 | 6400 Massachusetts Ave | New Port Richey, FL | Winn Win | December 8, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2433 | 2100 West Swann Ave | Tampa, FL | Deluxe Down Down | October 20, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2439 | 1951 S Mccall Rd | Englewood, FL | Winn Win | Early 2025

Winn-Dixie #2443 | 3327 9th St N | St. Petersburg, FL | Sweetbay | February 2, 2025

Winn-Dixie #2474 | 61 Bell Blvd N | Lehigh Acres, FL | Down Down | January 12, 2025

Winn-Dixie #2480 | 5660 Bayshore Rd | North Fort Myers, FL | Down Down | February 9, 2025 *60 days from job postings / February 23, 2025 *Reported closure date

Winn-Dixie #2491 | 1737 E Oak St | Arcadia, FL | Sweetbay | November 10, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2499 | 16751 Fishhawk Blvd | Lithia, FL | Sweetbay | October 27, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2501 | 4230 Bee Ridge Rd | Sarasota, FL | Sweetbay | February 2, 2025

Winn-Dixie #2507 | 17649 Gunn Hwy | Odessa, FL | Sweetbay | November 24, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2517 | 13016 Race Track Rd | Tampa, FL | Winn Win | January 12, 2025

Winn-Dixie #2527 | 252 Harbor Village Ln | Apollo Beach, FL | Down Down | October 6, 2024

Winn-Dixie #2529 | 6425 County Line Rd | Tampa, FL | Sweetbay | December 8, 2024

Georgia (6/25 Stores Converted):

Winn-Dixie #0067 | 341 Venture Dr | Brunswick, GA | Winn Win | July 14, 2024

Harveys #1627 | 1011 E 16th Ave | Cordele, GA | Low Low | April 13, 2025 *Suspected closure date / 90 days from job postings

Louisiana (12/28 Stores Converted):

Winn-Dixie #1405 | 2112 Belle Chasse Hwy | Gretna, LA | Winn Win | November 17, 2024

Winn-Dixie #1411 | 5901 Airline Dr | Metairie, LA | Down Down | July 7, 2024

Winn-Dixie #1449 | 804 W Oak St | Amite, LA | Winn Win | September 15, 2024

Winn-Dixie #1502 | 2985 Gause Blvd | Slidell, LA | Winn Win | January 19, 2025 *60 days from job postings / February 16, 2025 *Suspected closure date

Winn-Dixie #1504 | 3030 Pontchartrain Dr | Slidell, LA | Winn Win | October 6, 2024

Winn-Dixie #1590 | 17682 Airline Hwy | Prairieville, LA | Winn Win | September 29, 2024

Mississippi (4/6 Stores Converted):

Current Count

As of the last update, we have confirmed that 94/370 Winn-Dixie stores and 3/25 Harveys stores have been put up for conversion.

Additionally, take a look at this map of all Aldi, Harveys, and Winn-Dixie locations as of the closing of the merger and see if you can predict which stores will be the next to convert. Feel free to leave any ideas down in the comments or give us a shout if you find news of another store that we have missed in the list above!

In an unexpected twist, it appears that Aldi plans to construct liquor stores of its own in Florida, marking a first for the company. Plans for the conversion of Winn-Dixies #2413 in Tampa and #2527 in Apollo Beach reveal existing Winn-Dixie liquor stores being rebadged and relocated to the new Aldi side of the buildings. This poses the question of whether Aldi intends to operate the liquor stores itself or lease them out to a third party. Regardless, it appears that the German discounter has long-term ambitions for the lucrative alcohol market in the state of Florida.

Furthermore, the MFR team has confirmed that Winn-Dixie Liquors #0505 in Panama City Beach continues to operate status quo despite the adjacent supermarket having closed in August. Its unclear whether or not other affected liquor stores will follow suit.

Winn-Dixie #2527 Conversion Plans - Exterior Elevation featuring relocated liquor store

Stores with future liquor stores notated in building plans:

Winn-Dixie #0197 | Liquor #0150 | Gainesville, FL

Winn-Dixie #0488 | Liquor #0505 | Panama City Beach, FL

Winn-Dixie #0506 | Liquor #0513 | Pensacola, FL

Winn-Dixie #0720 | Liquor #0722 | Englewood, FL

Winn-Dixie #2309 | Liquor #2310 | Ormond Beach, FL

Winn-Dixie #2328 | Liquor #2331 | Melbourne, FL

Winn-Dixie #2329 | Liquor #2318 | Port St. John, FL

Winn-Dixie #2404 | Liquor #2405 | Bradenton, FL

Winn-Dixie #2413 | Liquor #2414 | Tampa, FL

Winn-Dixie #2433 | Liquor #2434 | Tampa, FL

Winn-Dixie #2439 | Liquor #2440 | Englewood, FL

Winn-Dixie #2480 | Liquor #2481 | North Fort Myers, FL

Winn-Dixie #2491 | Liquor #2492 | Arcadia, FL

Winn-Dixie #2527 | Liquor #2528 | Apollo Beach, FL

Additional details and liquor stores will be noted as they are revealed. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment below if you have more information on this breaking news.

Ever since this deal has begun, we have wondered what would happen to all of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores remaining after the "50 or so" stores selected to convert to the German discount banner. We may not have a full picture yet; however, that information is slowly beginning to surface. Check out what we have learned about the following locations:

Florida (1/297 Stores Closed):

Former Winn-Dixie Headquarters | 5050 Edgewood Ct | Jacksonville, FL | Sold to Cannon Commercial Inc.

Winn-Dixie #0179 | 11101 Old St Augustine Rd | Jacksonville, FL | Post-Bankruptcy / Getting Better All The Time | Closing to convert to Enson Market

Your Southeastern Retail Bloggers strive to keep this list current; however, with any breaking news, there may be errors or missing information. Please leave a comment below if you discover any incorrect information or have a tip that we may have missed. Most importantly, don't forget to document the world around you because what may be taken for granted today could be gone tomorrow!

My Florida Retail Blog is run as a passion project by a team of forensic internet scrapers, history junkies, and retail enthusiasts. Since we are not beholden to anybody, we are not afraid to share the good, bad, and ugly truth. To that, we try to keep to the facts and shy away from letting our biases intervene with our reporting. If you would like to learn more about our personal projects, make sure to check out The Sing Oil Blog, The Albertsons Florida Blog, and The Mid-South Retail Blog.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Publix #1898 - Palm Bay, FL (Shoppes at Cypress Bay)

Photo courtesy of Publix

Publix #1898

9179 Babcock Street SE, Palm Bay, FL - Shoppes at Cypress Bay

Today's post is a presentation of Brevard County retail

I'm on a bit of a roll for MFR it seems - two new posts in one month from me, and I may have something for February to share too! Anyway, while there's been plenty of talk about Winn-Dixie on this blog lately, I figured I'd change things up for the moment and talk about Publix today. Unlike the ever-shrinking (once again) Winn-Dixie, the ever-growing Publix keeps finding new places around Florida to add new stores, as if having 874 locations in this state wasn't enough! Opening on December 5, 2024, we'll be touring Publix's 872nd Florida location to see what Publix has been up to of late. While there haven't been any Earth-shattering changes out of Publix lately, I did want to showcase one minor change Publix made in the past year to their ever-spreading Evergreen decor. Outside of that change to Evergreen, another new-for-2024 addition to Publix's grand opening line-up made the cut for the Day 1 photo taken above - the famous giant Publix shopping cart!

Photo courtesy of Publix

In addition to the giant shopping cart touring the streets of Palm Bay on grand opening morning, the grand opening also featured the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony (pictured above) alongside the usual parade of free samples inside and the cooler bag giveaway. I didn't get the chance to visit this store for grand opening morning (or grand opening day), instead popping by a few days later for a visit:

By the time I arrived here, most of the pomp and circumstance from the grand opening was gone (as well as the giant shopping cart, which had rolled off to fulfill large shopping trips elsewhere).

Publix #1898 is a fairly standard modern 48M store with the upper-level dining area and deli island, with this store design serving as Publix's default for new stores these days. The store we're touring today was built in the southernmost part of Palm Bay, Brevard's County's largest city, in an area sprouting with development along the new St. John's Heritage Parkway near its interchange with Interstate 95. Publix #1898 was one of 3 new Publix stores planned for the city in the near future, alongside its sibling store #1899 in the western part of town near Heritage High School and a replacement for the 1970's-era store #215 at Palm Bay Center (currently Brevard County's oldest Publix store). Store #1899 is projected to open sometime in 2025, although details on the replacement of #215 are rather murky on when that project will move forward.

Stepping inside, we're welcomed to our new Publix store by this sign in the cart vestibule (sans the green beans these days). The brown tiles used in the vestibule (which look like something out of a 1980's supermarket) clash with the otherwise all gray surroundings in here.

During my visit, the only signs left of the grand opening celebration were these literal signs on a table in the vestibule, announcing a gift card contest for anyone who used their Club Publix account at checkout during the store's first week in operation. Sadly, yours truly wasn't the winner.

Entering the store and turning to the right, we spy the deli island in the front right corner of the building.

The deli island is set up with the Pub Sub station front and center, facing shoppers entering the store. Hot foods are located to the right of the sub station facing the wall, with the sliced meats to the left of the subs facing floral. If I remember right, cheeses are in a case on the back of the island, facing produce. Speaking of produce, that's where I was standing to take this photo, as that department is what comes next following the deli island.

Floral is in an island off to the side of produce, backing up to the first grocery aisle. Being right before Christmas when I took these photos, there was no shortage of poinsettias in the floral department!

Turning around to view the rest of the (immaculately stacked) produce department, we find the meat and seafood counter in the back right corner. With meat and seafood in view, this is probably a good time for me to comment on the change that happened to Evergreen in early 2024 - if you haven't noticed already, the font used on the department signs is different. The change is pretty subtle (as the font is now more round than square like the original version), and it's a much less shocking font switch compared to when Classy Market 1.0 changed from the serif to sans-serif fonts. Still, the new font is the largest overhaul Evergreen has seen since it was first introduced in 2019, and this change seems to suggest Evergreen isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Leaving the meat and seafood service counter, as we continue along the back wall, we enter the dairy department. In these newer stores, most of the back wall coolers are home to dairy, as the meat coolers now line the right side wall next to produce.

Moving into the grocery aisles, we begin with breakfast foods in aisle 1. In the background of this photo is the customer service counter, which has returned to the store's front wall in these 48M builds (although Publix has changed the design and placement of the counter since the 48M's debut, but it's still in the same general area on the front wall next to the entrance).

Moving along to aisle 2, we find the international foods and canned goods.

What's amazing is that Publix's stores can still look this nicely faced well after the grand opening. They're one of the few stores that can do this well on a consistent basis, probably because they're one of the few grocery chains that still has adequate salesfloor staffing all the time.

Returning to the back wall, the bakery begins to come into view in the back left corner of the building.

Two aisles of frozen foods are located in the center of the store, one of which is pictured above.

The lights reflect off the shiny new terrazzo here in aisle 12, home to cleaning supplies.

In the back left corner, the bakery resides all by itself between the dairy coolers and beer. I feel like Publix should have swapped the placement of the meat and seafood counter and the bakery in these 48M stores, as that would have made the grand aisle feel a little more complete compared to having the bakery on the opposite side of the store from the rest of the service departments.

The store's last aisle, aisle 15, is home to beer and wine.

Leaving aisle 15, we find the pharmacy in the front left corner of the store, its traditional location in most of Publix's designs for the last 2 decades. The pharmacy had yet to open for the day when I was here, which is why the shutters were pulled down.

This look across the store's front end will be our last from ground level, as no tour of a 48M Publix would be complete without a few photos taken from the upper level dining area:

Before we look out at the salesfloor, here's a quick look at the upper level dining area itself, which was super quiet this early in the morning (I was the only one up here besides a few employees that came up the stairs to access the offices/breakroom area behind me). Unlike a lot of other newer 48M stores, this location lacks an outdoor portion to the seating area (even though there are windows here overlooking a faux balcony).

The part you've all been waiting for: the balcony photos of the salesfloor!

You really get a different perspective of the store looking down at it from a vantage point like this, and hopefully it helps you people outside of Publix territory understand how one of these stores are laid out if you've never been in one.

Back outside, the only occupant (so far) of the little strip center attached to the Publix building is the Publix Liquor store. Publix debuted this new signage for its liquor stores earlier in 2024 as well, beginning with the opening of the first Publix in Kentucky (which included the first Publix Liquors store outside of Florida).

So that's what's new at Publix. While Publix has a lot of new stores lined up for 2025, it remains to be seen if any other breaking developments come out of Publix this year. Coming up in the near future though, Publix will be expanding further into Kentucky in 2025, and will also be breaking further into new parts of Virginia like Hampton Roads and towns along the I-81 corridor like Roanoke and Winchester. With the first Kentucky store only opening in 2024, I don't know if 2025 will be too soon for a reveal of Publix's 9th state (as the company still has a lot of infill work in Virginia and Kentucky to do), unless something opportunistic comes Publix's way at least. The year is still young, so we'll see what happens, and we'll let you know of any major developments that may come out of Publix in 2025 as well.

More to come from me soon both here on MFR and over on my namesake blog, so until the next post,

AFB

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