As if Southeastern Grocers LLC isn’t dealing with enough in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, the Jacksonville-based supermarket operator found itself needing a new customer rewards program.
A year after Southeastern joined American Express Co.’s Plenti rewards program, American Express announced in a tweet last week that it was ending Plenti.
American Express gave no explanation for its decision, but Plenti has been losing some high-profile retail participants. Macy’s and Chili’s both announced in January they were leaving the program.
Southeastern, operator of Winn-Dixie and three other supermarket chains, wasted no time, announcing last Monday it will introduce a new loyalty program called SE Grocers rewards. That program will allow customers to redeem points at some fuel stations, including Shell.
The Plenti program ends July 10. Southeastern, which filed its prepackaged Chapter 11 reorganization plan March 27, expects to be emerging from bankruptcy by that time.