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. 

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.

55 comments:

  1. If the plan is to just convert these to Piggly Wiggly, I highly doubt they’ll be successful. You’ll alienate the remaining Winn Dixie shopper, nobody knows what Piggly Wiggly was and it’s not that great sounding.

    And I assume conversions to Piggly Wiggly would mean a new decor… and from what I’ve seen by Google, they’d just get repainted with bland white walls and an ugly 80s looking signage, that makes the place have all the ambiance of a Save A Lot but with A Lot higher prices.

    I don’t think this is going to work unless they somehow keep the Winn Dixie branding and rewards program and at least brands like Chek soda.

    But with Aldi keeping Winn Dixie stores as a placeholder for conversion to Aldi it looks like none of that will be possible.

    Sorry… but you’re gonna have to do a lot better than Piggly Wiggly crap if you’re going to make it in Florida at all.

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    1. I'm glad that didn't end up being the plan, but I was certainly worried it was an option. You raise some valid points as well. The Piggly Wiggly brand is akin to the IGA name where any variety of operator can use it under license. I've seen Piggly Wiggly stores that have 1970's signage still in place, others with knockoff Harveys packages, and one that even looked like a high-end independent.

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    2. I was probably a bit harsh in my statement. But yeah it seemed to be just a hodgepodge of stores I was seeing. There as even a former Save A Lot that looked just like one, wall colors and all, but with Piggly Wiggly signage.

      I did also see some pics of nice looking stores carrying Piggly Wiggly signage that appeared to possibly be a high end one store wonder but possibly had folded so rebranded to P-W.

      All in all it could’ve been fine… but I was hoping we wouldn’t end up with a hodgepodge of stores under a brand that was unfamiliar.

      It looks like the old supermarket name Grand Union is also a C&S brand.

      I think Winn Dixie undoubtedly still has room for improvement and customer satisfaction, but they are much better than they were in the past.

      I hope this restructuring can bring some capital into the mix and help updating what still needs to be updated. I’d like to see the rebirth that was interrupted by this Aldi acquisition of the chain be continued. It’s also interesting that Anthony Hucker is staying CEO, I thought it was interesting that he was still involved even after the acquisition.

      All in all, Bruno’s aside, I think this is the very best outcome we could have hoped for, a Winning Outcome for all parties involved. LOL I was getting really concerned there for while.

      What a day!

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    3. There is no dancing around the fact that Piggly Wiggly is a hodge-podge of a brand. The fact that all stores are loosely franchised is what contributes to that. Heck, just look at some of the stores I've covered: both Troy, AL, and LaGrange, GA, used recycled Winn-Dixie decors, while Sylvester, GA, used a long-extinct Harveys package. If you want to see a nice Pig, though, check out the Crestline store in Birmingham. The photos on Google Maps are subpar, but you should be able to get a good enough idea from the Street View.

      Winn-Dixie has come a long way over the last 5 years, and I think that progress has shocked most people. While it is a shame that Aldi is taking 220 stores for themselves, and least The Beef People will continue on under the same leadership as when they made all of this progress.

      I agree that this is probably the best outcome we could have hoped for. Now I just want to see a list!

      What a day is right!!

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    4. I more or less agree with Sing's assessment of how much of a hodge-podge of decor packages Piggly Wiggly has in their stores. You also have that one store in Watertown in New York where they kept the Tops signage and rebranded it like the 3rd-generation Grand Union stores they currently operate. If those stores are any indicator as to what they will do with the decor in these Winn-Dixie stores if converted to Piggly Wiggly, you would be lucky if C&S even gives the store a new paint job and decor at all!

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    5. It sounds like these stores will live on as Winn-Dixie / Harveys, but that isn't reassuring to hear how C&S has put minimal investment into the Grand Union stores in NY.

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  2. The stores could stay Winn Dixie. Don’t forget when Albertsons broke in half there were two operated versions. I would have rather saw Kroger open brick and mortar stores in Florida to go along with their home delivery rather than C&S

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    1. Thankfully, it looks like they will stay Winn-Dixie with ALDI operating its pending conversions under license. Hopefully the C&S deal will work out in the end, but we all know what happened with Bruno's.

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  3. Well looks like they’re staying open. They made a funny post on their Facebook page tonight about a cart tax.

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  4. Any speculation on which 170 stores? That still means ALDI still has it’s grubby hands on about 130 of the stores it hasn’t announced conversions for. Either way, WD is probably going to be a “boutique” regional grocer with mediocre assistance from C&S

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    1. Your guess is as good as mine. Somebody at the MFR Team has been trying to compile the potential locations sold to C&S (AKA, the ones next door to an Aldi), but that still leaves a lot of stores in question. It will be interesting to see if places like Hattiesburg are sold to C&S when WD is only has two stores left in Mississippi. I really hope this drawn-out conversion process doesn't continue through 2027 – just rip the Band-Aid off! I'm also not sure if Winn-Dixie can ever be considered a "boutique", but I understand what you mean. Shedding so much buying power probably won't be great for in-store prices. At least C&S won't still have to skim their extra share off the top!

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    2. I've been able to make a few guesses. I'd bet money it'll be a lot of locations already near existing Aldi stores, or ones in small towns.

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    3. Even sometimes small towns do convert, some examples are Avon Park and Arcadia. These are quite small towns, although both are big enough to have Walmart, and Arcadia does have a Publix also, so perhaps that is a factor.

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    4. Very true. I have to wonder how small a town needs to be for it to be too small for Aldi. Is somewhere like Lake Placid safe?

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  5. We have a Winn Dixie and a Aldi across the street from each other but I’m still worried our Winn Dixie will be converted as the Aldi store has a lot that can’t handle the traffic. I can see them moving to the Winn Dixie so they have more parking. I for one am not an Aldi fan. I don’t understand the hype when you can’t get everything in one trip. I don’t want to go to multiple places. I stand behind using Kroger home delivery since they have entered Florida. They have saved me hundreds of dollars since they have come in and it’s nice now getting money back on every trip with their points program. I’ve been able to get 120.00 worth of groceries for under 60.00 several times with points and coupons.

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    1. I'm doubtful that Aldi would abandon one if its own stores in favor of moving to a Winn-Dixie, but you never know. I agree that Aldi's limited selection is one of my biggest grievances with the chain. I'm glad that Kroger's delivery program has worked out for you, and I'd be curious to know how the concept is doing in Florida. Getting Kroger delivered sure would beat shopping in one of their stores!

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    2. I’ve noticed that my local Aldi also has issues with parking. The lot is fairly small and tends to be crowded. Of it wasn’t so chaotic I might go there more often.

      What is wrong with Kroger’s stores? I’ve never been to one so not familiar at all.

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    3. At least for the Georgia and Tennessee Kroger stores I've been to, they tend to be very understaffed (service departments are often dark and cashiers are scarcely found). When stores do have manned checkouts, there are only 1-2 open and you can easily sit in line for 5-10 minutes waiting for a self-checkout. The employees that are present have made it seem like I am an inconvenience for stepping foot in the store. In addition to that, the aisles are ridiculously tall and the whole store presentation is overwhelming to look at. Some people love Kroger, but it is not my cup of tea. They only thing they are good for, in my eyes, is to bring down Publix' prices in a region.

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  6. Been following this blog and the Albertsons Florida a long time now. First comment here.

    Just based on some knowledge along with geography I am almost certain 100% these stores are safe:

    - Gainesville #2546 - 1459 NW 23rd Ave (Aldi just a mile north on 13th)

    - Starke #85 - 470 W Madison St (Aldi just over a mile south on U.S. 301 at the old Walmart)

    - Middleburg #93 - 2720 Blanding Blvd
    - Orange Park (Knight Boxx) #8 - 1339 Blanding Blvd (for both Middleburg and Knight Boxx there is the Middleburg Aldi sandwiched in between them and less than 4 miles both ways. That was one of the first Aldi’s to open in the Jacksonville market… also there is another one north of #8 in the old Walmart on Blanding)

    - Yulee #180 - 96706 Lofton Square Ct (Also almost across the street)

    - St. Augustine #77 (St John’s Plaza) - 1010 Ponce De Leon Blvd S (Aldi just a mile south at the old Publix/Kmart plaza)

    Those are just a few things I can feel pretty good on!

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    1. Welcome to the comments section, Joshua!

      I agree with your assessments, and have added those stores to a presumptive list of "safe" locations shown in the post above.

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  7. Here's some of my own predictions so far that fit your same criteria. All of these are very close to another Aldi store.
    #176 Jacksonville, FL (An Aldi is on the same road)
    #439 Columbus, GA
    #1412 Kenner, LA
    #1440 Marrero, LA
    #1583 LaPlace, LA

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    1. Thanks! I've added those to the presumptive "safe" list.

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    2. #1461, and #1576 in Baton Rouge, LA each have an aldi within 1 mile from each other also. #1577 has one nearby as well, (within 2 miles)

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  8. North Sebring Winn Dixie and Haines city Winn Dixie is only 0.6 miles away from the nearest Aldi

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  9. To add to this list of stores I feel certain will be kept:

    #2203 in Edgewater is literally across the street from an Aldi, so I'm sure that one is safe.
    #2234 in Apopka, the brand new store opened in 2023, is 1.5 miles away from an Aldi, and would hopefully be safe.
    #2238 in St. Cloud is less than an mile away from an Aldi, as is #2388 in Altamonte Springs.
    #2269 by UCF in Orlando is less than 2 miles from an Aldi on the same road
    #2568 in West Melbourne is also less than 2 miles from an Aldi on the same road.
    And one of the crazier situations, Winn-Dixies #2454 and #2495, which are only 2 miles apart from each other, have an Aldi right between them. I'm sure those won't be going anywhere either.

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  10. I was preparing to write my own Winn-Dixie post (on my local and last store) on my blog, timed to Winn-Dixie's bankruptcy twenty years ago this month.

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  11. I wonder if any Transformational style stores will make it?

    Does anyone know which store is in that cart video? It looks very swanky, must be a newer one.

    Does anyone know if there’s any pattern of Aldi converting stores? Such as do they seem to do what they’re going to do in a region or county and move on? Or maybe it’s too early to see any pattern. I would think that having the crews in a certain area already might make sense to get those stores done all at once.

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    1. That is store #7 in Jacksonville. Opened February 2016.

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    2. I've made a presumptive "safe" list above, and after reviewing some stores I'm familiar with, I feel confident that both #435 and #445 in Birmingham are safe from conversion. Both of these are Transformational stores which still have the Transformational interior (I have a post on #435 here if you are curious).

      The only pattern that I have picked up on is whether or not a store is over 3 miles away from a current Aldi. The Miami Metro, and rural portions of North Florida & South Georgia have also proportionally lacked conversions compared to what I would have expected. I would imagine that Aldi will stagger conversions in a given reason to move a given crew from one store, once it is complete, to the next in the area. Otherwise, somebody mentioned in a comment that Aldi may have a system that looks at a store's current lease terms to help make a decision.

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    3. Port Charlotte at 3280 Tamiami Trail is a FL Transformational that could stay open. It’s only 3.4 miles to Aldi and the other store in Port Charlotte at 2000 Kings Highway is converting (it’s a Marketplace with a Win Winn remodel).

      The Tamiami store looks impressive, it has a really cool sign to the side for the liquor store that reminds me of one of those rooftop signs you see at Outlets Malls in Orlando! It also has an impressively busy parking lot on Streetview as well as curbside pickup parking spots.

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    4. Sarasota is a situation that gives me concern with the “close to an Aldi” assumption. The store at 4230 Bee Ridge Rd (a former Sweetbay) is converting to an Aldi but is only 2.7 miles to the existing Aldi at 3501 S Tamiami Trail!

      On the other hand, the remaining store in Sarasota (a Transformational with that decor) is 4.7 miles to that Aldi and 5.2 to the one in Lakewood Ranch. Which begs the question if Aldi converts that one, Sarasota would have 3 Aldi stores and no Winn Dixie?

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    5. 1565 W Orange Blossom Trail in Apopka is another Transformational that MAY be safe, it’s only 3.7 miles to the nearest Aldi.

      I wonder too about the big Transformational store 1472 in Midtown New Orleans. That’s an impressive looking store that takes up an entire block! But there don’t appear to be any ALDIs there. The nearest looks like Metairie.

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    6. I agree that #736 in Port Charlotte is probably safe, but then again, look at both of Englewood's Winn-Dixie stores: those were just under 4 miles apart! That liquor store sign does look cool!

      For Sarasota, 3 miles has been roughly my rule of thumb; however, #2501 is a perfect counter example. Most of the "safe" stores are under 1.5 miles from an Aldi, or are in a town that I don't believe could support two Aldi stores. #657 on Fruitville Road looks like a prime conversion candidate based on its distance from other Aldi stores, and I wouldn't put it past the company to leave the town without a Winn-Dixie. After all, we still have 128 stores that still need to be "cut out" before all is said and done. At least #2519 in Bradenton is all but guaranteed to be safe.

      That's just wishful thinking to say that #2246 is safe, in my opinion. I personally think it should be high on the watch list, along with #2380 in Lake Mary (a store I desperately want to visit since it still looks like an old Publix on the inside).

      I'm sure we'll also see more conversions in Louisiana, and #1472 doesn't look like it is safe as long as Aldi is vying for some property closer to the city center.

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  12. I hope this whole thing works out, and I want it to, but after today’s experience I just feel like this whole message from the CEO could be empty words.

    I like Winn Dixie’s products, the convenience and the sales, rewards and coupons. I think they have a great thing going with all that. I got a great sandwich and cookies today.

    But what they are lacking to me, and I notice on about every third trip, is the in store experience. One is the store itself. Now, this is a store that had the Winn Win remodel. So it’s about as modern as you could get. But it still just has so many problems.

    There are places where the linoleum floor tiles are missing and broken or cracked and never got replaced in the recent remodel. They clearly never move the fixtures to run the floor machine under them so it’s dirty around them, and they don’t clean along the coolers closely at all.

    The cooler units look grimy and I wonder if they ever even get cleaned. The bottom pans in the coolers are corroded and the paint is coming off. Some of the trim is loose on the front of them. Some of the vent covers in the top of the coolers even have black mildew on them.

    The lights in the ceiling have mildew in some places probably because the store is so humid.

    The restroom has a urinal that’s been in disrepair for a month with wet floor signs around it. Under the sinks the wall has black stuff on it for over a month now that’s CLEARLY visible to anyone in the bathroom but nobody has bothered to clean it.

    The lady at customer service yells at customers if they get in the wrong lane. My coupons on my account still won’t work but I haven’t even asked the cashier about it because I figure they’d get an attitude.

    It’s such a shame because if I could get a hold of that store, the floor cleaner, some cleaning supplies, I could have it looking amazing in a week.

    I’m not a complainer nor do I ask questions, I just shop and leave. But I’ve complained to corporate about the cleaning issues and it’s like my messages go into a void. Nothing gets done or if it does, I notice the same problem a few months later.

    Like I said, I don’t have anything against Winn Dixie and we DO need competition. I like the concept of a cheaper and less crowded alternative to Publix. I’m not a Publix loyalist.

    I’ve been hearing for the past 15 years about Winn Dixie’s new store concepts and how it’s changing so much. But I think Winn Dixie needs to change its ways top down if it wants to be competitive. Maybe as long as people are shopping there they aren’t interested.

    But I was always taught work ethic. I see employees here that seem like they don’t care about their job nor their store.

    Take pride in your work! Take pride in your store! Management needs to stop hiding in the offices and get their butts out on the floor. Talk to your customers! Show appreciation and ask where you can improve.

    Walk through the store for once! Anyone could see black mildew in the cases and it’s a health violation. Anyone can see that bumpers need to be put back on the coolers or that there’s trash in the shopping carts.

    I truly don’t get it. It doesn’t matter who the CEO, manager or owner is it’s like nothing changes in my store. We’ve had 3 managers and I never have seen them.

    And it seems like the customers aren’t enthused to shop there. At Publix the customers seem happy and talk to each other. At Winn Dixie it’s like the customers are angry. In the restroom today, I watched a customer curse like a sailor at the paper tower dispenser and nearly rip it off the wall.

    I think W-D needs to pay better and start taking care of its good employees and attract good talent. It CAN be done but you have to want it. It seems like for decades that they are just set in their ways.

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  13. Also I wanted to apologize for my essay, but I was especially dismayed with my shopping experience today and shortened it as much as I could. I truly don’t think these are issues at all W-D stores, at least I hope not.

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    1. It seems like it is hard to have a corporate press release these days without empty corporate-speak.

      Just because Winn-Dixie has come a long way in the last five years doesn't mean I'm saying it is perfect. I think it goes without saying that the chain as a whole still needs lots of work – most of us were just shocked by the amount of effort we suddenly started to see around 2020. I'd imagine that it would be very hard to fix every bad habit a company has acquired over several decades overnight. Also, while the Winn Win remodels were some of the most thorough we have seen in years, they still obviously had to cut corners in some places. Add to that the instability of the company ever since Aldi purchased it, and I could see why management at all levels would not be delivering their best effort.

      A lot of your rants reflect what I've seen at countless Kroger stores; the main difference is that I've come to expect a lot of that from WD during the post-bankruptcy years, while Kroger has begun to trek down that path much more recently.

      It is hard to build a reputation like Publix, and I agree, they seem to know how to create a pleasant environment. I just think a lot of the issues playing out at Winn-Dixie today are still rooted in management missteps in the 1980's and 1990's that caused the company to lose focus. It is a shame, indeed.

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    2. All good points.
      I will also say I guess these things aren’t just a Winn Dixie problem, if you start to look for this stuff, you’ll see it in other stores too.

      My local Publix stores sometimes have some rather dirty floors and one of them I saw this weekend had some floor tiles that were broken and peeling too. They had actually put blue tape over them! lol

      And here in Florida, mildew can happen anywhere, my local Walmart was cited for the mold on its cooler vents actually, so this is not just something that happens at WD either.

      I really don’t like this conversion thing at all from the part of the store employees and management. Going years like that without knowing when your store may close and short notice must be very nerve wracking. Just getting it over with would be the best way if something like this really had to be done.

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  14. 1461, 1576, and 1577 in Louisiana all have an Aldi nearby.

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    1. 1461 and 1576 each have an aldi less than 1 mile away

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    2. Some things that have been giving me concern since Friday’s excitement. (I know it seems a lot of us in this thread are generally optimistic on this, myself included, yet I’ve also read some discussion from other places that seem a lot more suspicious and negative, although are also from people who have never had anything positive to say about Winn Dixie that I recall).

      -Could C & S be doing this just to flip the chain to someone like Albertsons or Kroger, or maybe to close or divest more stores even further beyond the 170?

      -Are we finally past the point of these “Kroger buying the chain” rumors that have been going on and off for a decade now? With the Albertsons merger nixed, I suppose this especially could certainly be a threat to Winn Dixie’s existence. I doubt Albertsons would be a buyer at this point, as they likely won’t come back to Florida anytime soon, but the “Kroger entering Florida by buying SEG to have brick and mortar stores” discussion never seems to finally die, and I wish it truly would go away for good.

      I think this is the biggest potential external issue, aside from the C&S track record with Bruno’s, and I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if these rumors start up next, or possibly just after the Aldi conversions conclude.

      I’ve been trying to be optimistic and that this is finally the end of the sales, closures, and bankruptcies, but I suppose there’s a track record over the years that this may well not be the end of their problems. Or, it could be an issue like Sears and Kmart where this is actually an extended wind down, and the closures keep happening until the 170 reaches just a handful of stores or none at all.

      I hope not, and I’d ultimately like to see Winn Dixie be a lower cost alternative to Publix while improving any store condition and customer service issues that exist, THEN with care and clear cut goals, possibly even expanding the chain. This is what I’d like to see ultimately, but I’d be fine seeing them stay right at 170 stores if they can finish their improvement and maintain it for the long haul. However, I am also concerned they may not have the leadership and capital to ever achieve that.

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    3. I’ve even heard people speculating that the stores will not be named Winn Dixie, or will only for a short period of time, to then be sold off to private chains or divested to Kroger, etc.

      There’s just always this underlying belief that Winn Dixie will fail, and of course under Aldi ownership it was saying that every store would be converted to Aldi, I swear it’s like people want Winn Dixie to fail. Is it Publix/Aldi loyalty? IDK

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    4. Yes and there is often that assumption that EVERY location would become an Aldi. I see reviews in multiple locations where someone is dissatisfied for one reason or another and says they can’t wait for Aldi to come in and fire everyone or lower prices or whatever.

      Well no, not every store is converting. I don’t know where this notion came from, because Aldi never said so, but people ignored that, and just went on to assume it would happen.

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  15. Despite not being on the "safe" list, I doubt Aldi will convert store 355 - Berracasa Way, Boca Raton. The store is very large, and the surrounding neighborhood is rapidly becoming Orthodox Jewish. So much so, that a number of the non-Kosher casual/takeout restaurants in this center and another large center across the road have closed down. The Winn Dixie has a large Kosher department including a meat section and deli, and the Bakery is also Kosher. Aldi is not going to do this, so they would immediately lose a notable portion of the customer base.

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    1. That store is already confirmed converting. News broke a couple weeks ago.

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    2. Yes, an employee from #355 posted on the merger Facebook page his/her official termination notice due to the store's pending conversion. I expect job postings any day now.

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  16. I’ve noticed my local store has the lights turned off in seafood for the last month or so (although the Tv above is still on, along with the screen on the scale). The seafood case has also been covered with a vinyl advertisement wrap since the remodel. Is this common in all locations or just a sign of slow sales here?

    I’ve also noticed that just recently, signs have been posted on the restroom doors “please no merchandise in restrooms” and there are some security camera warning stickers on the center meat coolers.

    Are these signs and stickers being added to all stores? I have to say it gives the impression that there may be a lot of crime/shrink in the store, it just wasn’t an appealing look for a supermarket, in my opinion. Looks more befitting to somewhere like Walmart. At least they did a neat job centering the signs and stickers.

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  17. Aldi probably won’t knowingly let any employees know which stores they are going to keep so they could just get laid off without a “retention bonus” …jerks
    Does that consortium buying the WDs back have any Davis family members?

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    1. Yeah I would doubt there will ever be a list released for various imaginable reasons.

      I guess this will be one long waiting game to see how it plays out, and the conversions are going to take a long time.

      I’m interested to see what happens after the current round of conversions are completed. That could give us a better idea whether or not certain towns get additional conversions or not, such as Port Charlotte and Sarasota that we just talked about that are currently undergoing a conversion of one of their two stores.

      And maybe whether places like Highlands County would get additional conversions or if Hardee County would loses its only store.

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  18. It’s like Aldi “da waren die Augen wieder größer als der Mund.” [sic] or Beißen Sie mehr ab, als Sie kauen können

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  19. Curious if any knows the conversion status of Winn Dixie 0358 in Big Pine Key, Florida?

    Our previous experience with our old Aldi’s in Orlando was less than we had hoped.

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    1. That store has not been chosen as of this moment. Remember to check the main list of chosen stores frequently for updates.

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