Dive Brief:
- Southeastern Grocers is rebranding to The Winn-Dixie Company in early 2026, the company announced Tuesday.
- The name change signals the company’s “renewed focus on Florida” as it aims to expand its footprint in the state’s northern region as well as select Georgia markets, according to the press release. However, Southeastern Grocers is offloading most of its locations outside of Florida as part of this transition.
- The Winn-Dixie Company will focus on growing through targeted acquisitions and new store investments, some of which are already underway.
Dive Insight:
At a time when Winn-Dixie is at the center of numerous divestiture and acquisition deals — including with Aldi, Food City and Brookshire Grocery — the banner’s parent company is looking to consolidate its own operations under the famous Florida grocer’s name.
Acquisitions will play a prominent role in this next growth period, the company said. Southeastern Grocers finalized an agreement to acquire Hitchcock’s Markets’ three stores, which are located in Alachua, Keystone Heights and Williston, Florida. Those stores will be converted to the Winn-Dixie banner format, with the Williston storefront slated to reopen in December while the other two will debut by summer 2026.
In keeping with its focus on growing in Florida, Southeastern Grocers is transitioning ownership of most of its locations outside the Sunshine State, according to the announcement. This includes the company selling eight Harvey’s Supermarkets and 32 Winn-Dixie stores across Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. The closures are expected to be completed by the end of this year, and all banner transitions finalized by early 2026.
In recent months, Winn-Dixie has announced several store divestitures, including selling three Alabama stores to Food City, two Louisiana stores to Brookshire Grocery and dozens of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, as well as Florida, locations to Aldi.
The company noted that it will remain in southern Georgia with stores in Brunswick, Folkston, Lake Park, St. Simons and Valdosta.
After these transactions close, The Winn-Dixie Company will operate around 130 traditional grocery stores and 140 freestanding and grocery-adjacent liquor stores across Florida and southern Georgia, per the announcement.
The company has already planned and commenced dozens of store remodels and new store projects that focus on modernizing stores as well as improving the customer experience by making them “community-centered,” according to the press release. Southeastern Grocers is also growing its private label assortment, testing customer convenience options such as third-party powered delivery and return kiosks, and expanding its liquor store portfolio with innovative formats, the announcement added.
“As we enter our next century as The Winn-Dixie 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,” Anthony Hucker, who will remain chairman and CEO of the grocery company following this transition, said in a statement.
