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Southeastern Grocers to open eight Winn-Dixie stores in Florida

Locations acquired from bankrupt Lucky’s Market, Earth Fare chains

Russell Redman

May 27, 2020

2 Min Read
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Winn-Dixie is on track to open eight new stores this year, including a location opened in February in Jacksonville's Brentwood section.Southeastern Grocers

Southeastern Grocers plans to open eight acquired stores under the Winn-Dixie banner in Florida before the end of this year.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers said Wednesday that all of the new locations are slated to have grand opening dates this year and will be introduced to the community with an opening event for customers.

All of the new stores came from lease purchases during the bankruptcy proceedings of Lucky’s Market and Earth Fare, with Southeastern Grocers buying four locations from each chain. The stores acquired from Lucky’s are in Fort Myers, Gainesville, Lake Mary and Melbourne, while the former Earth Fare stores are located in Boynton Beach, Jacksonville, Lakewood Ranch and Viera.

Lucky’s announced the sale of the four leases for $2.4 million to Southeastern Grocers in late March. No dollar amount was disclosed for the acquisition of the Earth Fare leases, which was finalized in mid-April.

“We are committed to supporting, enriching and growing the communities we serve. Winn-Dixie is deeply rooted in Florida, and we are proud to expand our footprint and enhance our presence throughout the state,” Southeastern Grocers President and CEO Anthony Hucker said in a statement. “In addition to our new store that we opened earlier this year, we look forward to introducing eight more new appealing stores with fresh, quality products at the right price to deliver a shopping experience our associates, customers and communities can always count on.”

Related:Seven Earth Fare stores sold to Winn-Dixie, Whole Foods, Aldi

Each of the acquired stores will be remodeled to provide a wide selection of products as well as additional jobs and opportunities for the communities they serve, according to Southeastern Grocers. The company said it’s offering jobs to Lucky’s and Earth Fare workers displaced by the store acquisitions.

Including the acquired stores, Winn-Dixie is on track to open nine new locations this year. In February, the chain opened a new store in Jacksonville’s Brentwood community in response to requests from the city and the community, which expressed concerns that the impending closure of a Publix store would create a food desert.

Overall, Southeastern Grocers operates 550 grocery stores under the Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Harveys Supermarket and Fresco y Más banners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. The company’s retail locations also include in-store pharmacies and liquor stores.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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