More former Southeastern Grocers supermarkets have gone to the Piggly Wiggly retail banner.
C&S Wholesale Grocers, owner and licensor of the Piggly Wiggly brand, said closed Bi-Lo stores in Ladson and Mullins, S.C., have been acquired by Lynn and Cindy Willard of Charleston, S.C.-based Lowcountry Grocers LLC, which operates nine Piggly Wiggly locations in South Carolina.
Financial terms of the transactions, which closed in mid-May, weren’t disclosed. C&S said the two stores were rebranded under the Piggly Wiggly name, and grand opening celebrations are slated to be held on June 6.
Lowcountry Grocers’ current Piggly Wiggly locations are in Florence (two), Georgetown, Hampton, Hanahan, Moncks Corner, North Charleston, St. George and Surfside Beach, S.C.
“Our independent owners are excited to grow their existing store count and expand the Piggly Wiggly brand in the Southeast,” said John Owens, vice president of marketing and merchandising in the Southeast for Keene, N.H.-based C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Independently owned and operated, Piggly Wiggly stores in South Carolina and southeastern Georgia are supported and supplied by C&S. Including the latest locations converting to the banner. C&S now serves 51 Piggly Wiggly stores in those markets.
C&S said in March that three Piggly Wiggly owners purchased a combined six stores — three Bi-Lo locations in South Carolina and three Harvey’s Supermarkets in Georgia — from Southeastern Grocers. Earlier in the month, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based retailer had announced plans to close 94 stores and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, from which the company emerged last week.
Overall, more than 600 independent supermarkets in 16 states bear the Piggly Wiggly banner.
