Southeastern Grocers, the Jacksonville-based parent company of Winn-Dixie supermarkets, announced Tuesday that it will rebrand the company next year as The Winn-Dixie Co. and renew its focus on Florida.
Dozens of remodeled and new stores are planned or underway, the company said. Among the changes, the company will:
- Expand its liquor store portfolio.
- Open new stores in North Florida but pull back from several states.
- Grow its Own Brand products and return its iconic Lip Lickin’ Chicken.
- Pilot new features such as third-party online grocery delivery and return kiosks. (Southeastern announced in September that customers could now order Winn-Dixie groceries on Amazon.)
The changes will expand Winn-Dixie’s presence in North Florida and chart a course for the company’s second century, the company 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 offeeding and enriching the communities, families and neighbors who have supported us for generations,” Anthony Hucker, chairman and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said in the release.
Winn-Dixie history
Winn-Dixie was founded in 1925, while Harveys was started a century ago by Iris and J.M. Harvey. At least 70 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets, liquors stores and pharmacies operate in Northeast Florida, many clustered in Jacksonville and northeastern Clay County as well as St. Johns County…