C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC announced Aug. 13 it proposes to become the majority owner of The Winn-Dixie Company LLC in a deal to close in early 2027.
Keene, New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale was part of a consortium of private investors that bought Winn-Dixie from Aldi U.S. in 2025.
C&S Wholesale said in a news release that until the transaction closes, Winn-Dixie’s Raymond Rhee will serve as CEO while current chief executive Anthony Hucker will serve as a special adviser.
The release said Winn-Dixie “remains committed to its Jacksonville community and will continue to have an office presence.”
“The collective insights gathered during our C&S-SpartanNash integration have enabled us to further enhance our support of customers — in all formats — across the United States,” the release said.
C&S Wholesale Grocers said in September 2025 it completed the acquisition of SpartanNash Co., boosting the combined company to more than 30,000 employees and almost 60 distribution centers covering the U.S. and serving almost 10,000 independent retail locations, as well as military commissaries and exchanges, with more than 200 corporate-run grocery stores.
“Our combination has already strengthened the skills and capabilities we need to win in the marketplace while clearly demonstrating that our continued growth has been greatly enhanced with our transformative M&A,” C&S CEO Eric Winn said in the release.
“To continue to grow in the industry — not only today, but well into the future — there is even more opportunity within our retail footprint, especially in the Southeast,” he said.
“I want to thank Anthony Hucker for his leadership as we continue the strong legacy of C&S and Winn-Dixie for many generations to come.”
Hucker also was quoted.
“Winn-Dixie has always been more than a business to me — it is home. This proposed next step with C&S is a natural evolution of a partnership built on trust, shared purpose and a deep belief in what the hometown grocer still means to the communities we serve,” Hucker said.
“As my role evolves, my commitment to Winn-Dixie only grows stronger, and I have full confidence in Raymond and this leadership team, as they are deeply experienced and fully committed to the future we are building,” he said.
The news release said the deal will ensure that Winn-Dixie’s “strategic growth plans thrive by providing long-term solutions to structural costs and supply chain capabilities.”
C&S said that as a hometown grocer based in Florida for more than a century, Winn-Dixie has earned its place “as a trusted neighborhood staple by building lasting relationships with customers and communities.”
C&S said plans for Winn-Dixie’s strategic growth are to:
• Refresh the Winn-Dixie brand and customer experience.
• Open new stores and continue its growth momentum.
• Refresh stores and upgrade experiences.
• Offer more customer favorites, including Own Brands..
“Our industry is rapidly evolving, and this is another important advancement in our ability to support hometown grocers,” Winn said.
“I look forward to welcoming Winn-Dixie team members into the C&S family,” he said.
Winn said that with C&S and Winn-Dixie having been partners for more than 20 years, the transaction will be a “seamless integration.”
C&S Wholesale Grocers says it was established in 1918, starting as a supplier to independent grocery stores. Its companies include Grocers Supply, Hansen Distribution Group, Davidson Specialty Foods and SpartanNash, which provide products and services to chain, independent and military customers from 60 distribution centers nationwide.
C&S offers grocery products from fresh produce to household goods, including within its private label portfolio.
It operates more than 200 corporate-run grocery stores primarily under the banners D&W Fresh Market, Grand Union, Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and Piggly Wiggly.
Incentives to stay
The city already has pledged $12 million in incentives to keep Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie’s headquarters in Jacksonville.
On May 12, Council granted a $5.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and a $6.5 million Headquarters Retention Grant for Winn-Dixie to remain in its offices at 5050 Edgewood Court in West Jacksonville.
According to legislation containing the incentives, Ordinance 2026-0326, they include a 20-year, 50% REV Grant, which is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement. It can apply to real property and tangible personal property. The Headquarters Retention Grant would be paid at $1.3 million annually, beginning in October 2027.
With an amendment to the legislation brokered by Council Vice President Nick Howland, who now is president, Winn-Dixie agreed to come back to the Council Finance Committee 18 months before its lease on the Brentwood store on 48th Street ends in February 2029 to provide an update on any efforts to stay in the area. Additionally, should Winn-Dixie fail to see out the lease, it would pay back the Headquarters Retention Grant approved by Council.
A memo from the city’s Office of Economic Development states that Winn-Dixie, in restructuring its corporate operations, is considering a $65 million capital investment in its Jacksonville stores and an addition of 200 jobs in its headquarters.
The new jobs would pay an average wage of at least $100,000 and would bring the company’s headquarters workforce to 700 full-time employees, the memo says. An amendment approved by Council requires Winn-Dixie to add 15 jobs by Dec. 31, 2027, and an additional 25 in 2028, 75 in 2029, 40 in 2030 and 45 in 2031.
Additionally, as with all other Winn-Dixie stores in economically distressed areas, should Winn-Dixie close the Brentwood-area store, it would have 18 months to open another store in the area.
Under the legislation, Winn-Dixie would be required to operate at least 13 stores under the Winn-Dixie name in Jacksonville.
In response to a question from the Finance Committee, Director of Economic Development Ed Randolph said the stores are located throughout Jacksonville and include the Harveys Supermarkets that were converted to the Winn-Dixie brand.
A memo from the Office of Economic Development said the public assistance would generate $1.04 in return for every $1 of incentives.
Winn-Dixie’s history
Winn-Dixie returned to the Edgewood Court headquarters in late 2025 after its ancestral company operated there from the early 1950s until 2016, when as Southeastern Grocers it moved to the Baymeadows area. On April 7, the city issued permits to put up signs on the Westside building.
During the company’s years at the Baymeadows headquarters, it leased space at Edgewood Court for IT functions. Winn-Dixie has evolved over the years through name, ownership and location changes. Since construction began in 1952, the headquarters campus in West Jacksonville has been bought and sold several times. The company is now owned by an investor group with plans to focus on Florida and South Georgia markets.
Previously named Southeastern Grocers, the company completed a deal in March 2024 to sell its primary banners Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket to German grocer Aldi. Aldi bought about 400 stores from Southeastern Grocers to convert to its discount concept.
In February 2025, a consortium of private investors led by Southeastern Grocers Inc. Hucker and C&S Wholesale Grocers acquired SEG and 170 remaining Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores to continue the banners.
The new owners registered The Winn-Dixie Company LLC with the state Division of Corporations on Feb. 5, 2026.