About 500 Jacksonville area business executives attended the quarterly JAXUSA Partnership presentation Thursday at the Hyatt Downtown to hear Bi-Lo Winn-Dixie CEO Randall Onstead talk about the Jacksonville-based chain’s strategy.
Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie merged in March 2012. “It’s been a very busy 15 months,” Onstead said. He expects the integration of the chains, with a combined 686 stores, to be completed in late fall.
Onstead said the company’s growth strategy includes increasing sales at existing stores; making the capital investment to remodel and build Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie stores; and acquiring stores, such as the recent announcement of its purchase of the 165 Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s stores from Delhaize Group.
The overall strategy is to be “the neighborhood grocer people shop the most,” he said.
The JAXUSA Partnership’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled Sept. 24 with Duval County Superintendent of Schools Nikolai Vitti as the keynote speaker.