Dive Brief:
- Brookshire Grocery Co. announced Friday that it has signed a deal to purchase two Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana’s capital city and plans to rebrand the locations under the Super 1 Foods banner. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
- The Baton Rouge supermarkets are both set to close on Nov. 16 and reopen later that week as Super 1 Foods stores.
- Brookshire said it intends to later remodel the stores “to bring new features and expanded offerings to customers,” including deeply discounted goods under its Wall of Values and Super Shocker programs.
Dive Insight:
Brookshire and Winn-Dixie have both recently been active on the mergers-and-acquisitions front.
Brookshire’s disclosure that it is in line to take over the Winn-Dixie locations comes shortly after the Texas-based grocer’s announcement that it had agreed to acquire a pair of Upton Grocery stores in the Oklahoma City area. The company plans to start converting those supermarkets, in The Village and Edmond, Oklahoma, into Fresh by Reasor’s locations on Wednesday.
Winn-Dixie’s decision to sell the Louisiana locations to Brookshire follows its announcement earlier in October that it will sell three stores in Alabama to Food City. Winn-Dixie, which is owned by Florida-based Southeastern Grocers, said its decision to sell those stores, in Fultondale, Trussville and Jasper, Alabama, reflects an effort to “ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of our business” and will help the chain invest in other stores it runs.
Brookshire said it intends to offer jobs to “all qualified employees” who currently hold positions at the Winn-Dixie stores it is acquiring as well as hire additional workers for each location.
“These new stores reflect our commitment to providing fresh, affordable groceries and exceptional service to families across the South Louisiana region,” Brookshire Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire said in an emailed statement.
In 2018, Brookshire agreed to buy eight Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana and turn them into Super 1 Foods locations.
In addition to Super 1 Foods, Brookshire operates stores under the Brookshire’s, Spring Market, Reasor’s and Fresh banners. The grocer’s fleet includes over 200 stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
