Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. Tuesday reported higher sales for the second quarter ended Jan. 11 but also recorded a net loss.
The Jacksonville-based supermarket chain, in what is likely its last quarterly report as an independent company, had a net loss of $17.99 million, or 32 cents per diluted share, for the 16 weeks ended Jan. 11.
Winn-Dixie has agreed to a $560 million merger with South Carolina-based Bi-Lo LLC. A special shareholders meeting is scheduled for March 9 at Winn-Dixie’s Jacksonville headquarters, and the company is hoping to complete the merger shortly after that.
Winn-Dixie reported its results in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission but with the merger pending, it did not issue a news release or meet with local reporters to discuss the results, which the company normally had done every quarter.
SEC regulations restrict what public company officers can say before a shareholder vote.
The quarterly report shows Winn-Dixie’s total sales rose by 2.3 percent in the quarter to $2.14 billion and identical store sales rose 2.5 percent to $2.13 billion. One store was closed during the quarter.
The report said the identical store sales increase was “due primarily to a pass-through of inflationary price increases in certain categories, and to increases in sales from our fuelperks! rewards program, computer generated ordering initiatives, and our remodeled stores.”
“The increases were partially offset by competitive activity and other general market factors, and the continued mix shift from brand name pharmaceutical products to generics,” it said.
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