Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers LLC, the parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets, announced Oct. 21 it is shedding most of its stores outside Florida to focus on its home state.
Southeastern Grocers said it has “reached agreements or is advancing plans with multiple grocers,” which include 32 Winn-Dixie stores and eight Harveys Supermarkets, in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The company didn’t say how many stores it would close or sell. It did say that the store closings are expected to be completed by year-end, with all banner transitions anticipated by early 2026.
WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reported that two Winn-Dixie locations in Baton Rouge will become Super 1 Foods stores in November.
According to the industry news publication Grocery Dive, Winn-Dixie stores in Fultondale, Jasper, and Trussville, Alabama are becoming Food City stores.
Southeastern Grocers said it will continue to operate South Georgia stores in Brunswick, Folkston, Lake Park, St. Simons Island and Valdosta.
After the moves, Winn-Dixie said it would have a “sharpened focus on its home state and neighboring southern Georgia,” operating about 130 conventional grocery stores and 140 freestanding and grocery-adjacent liquor stores.
“While this change enables the grocer to reinvest in the communities where its roots run deepest, it also marks the end of an important chapter in regions that have supported Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets for generations,” the company said in a news release.
Stores acquired
Southeastern Grocers said it has reached an agreement to acquire Hitchcock’s Markets in Alachua, Keystone Heights and Williston.
It said the stores would be converted to the Winn-Dixie banner and opened in phases beginning late 2025.
The company said workers from the Williston store will have the opportunity to continue serving customers under the Winn-Dixie banner.
It said the Alachua and Keystone Heights Winn-Dixie stores are planned to open by summer 2026.
No financial terms were disclosed for the Southeastern Grocers deals.
The changes continue a transformation of the company, which is in its 100th year of operation.
Southeastern Grocers Inc. was sold to German grocer Aldi in March 2024. Less than a year later, Feb. 7, 2025, a consortium of private investors – led by the grocer’s CEO Anthony Hucker – acquired Southeastern Grocers LLC.
The deal included about 170 Winn-Dixie stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, along with the chain’s liquor store business.
Aldi kept many of the Winn-Dixie store locations and has been transforming them to its brand.
A new name
Southeastern Grocers also announced Oct. 21 that in early 2026 it would be renamed The Winn-Dixie Co.
“For a century, Winn-Dixie has proudly called Florida home. Our story is built on the resilience and spirit of its people, and that foundation will guide our future,” Hucker said in a news release. “As we enter our next century as The Winn-Dixie Company – a brand-new 100-year-old company – we are accelerating growth where our roots run deepest while staying true to our purpose of feeding and enriching the communities, families and neighbors who have supported us for generations.”
Southeastern Grocers said that “Dozens of remodels and new store projects are both planned and already underway,” and it is expanding its liquor store portfolio.
Southeastern Grocers also is planning to move its headquarters from Baymeadows to its Edgewood Support Center in West Jacksonville.
The company’s lease at Prominence Office Park, where it moved in 2016, expires at the end of 2025.
“As we write our next chapter as The Winn-Dixie Company, we also want to acknowledge the people and communities beyond Florida who have been an integral part of our story,” Hucker said. “We are profoundly thankful to our associates and customers in these markets for their loyalty – for making Winn-Dixie and Harveys a meaningful part of their lives and trusting us to help nourish their families. We will do everything we can to support those who supported us, ensuring this transition reflects the gratitude and respect they deserve.”