Winn-Dixie is divesting three of its Alabama stores to Food City, the regional grocer confirmed in an email on Friday, adding that it plans to transition these stores in early November.
The decision to divest the stores in Fultondale, Trussville and Jasper is part of Winn-Dixie’s “ongoing effort to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of our business” and allows the company to invest in innovations as well as its existing store fleet, per the emailed statement.
The Florida-based grocer has gone through numerous ownership changes in recent years. In August 2023, Aldi acquired Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s Supermarket banners from Southeastern Grocers. In February, Aldi sold a sizable portion of those acquired stores to a consortium of private investors led by Anthony Hucker, the current president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, and C&S Wholesale Grocers. This move left Aldi with 220 Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s stores, which it still plans to convert into Aldi locations.
Food City, meanwhile, is a regional grocer that continues to expand via acquisitions. In 2022, the grocer announced plans to acquire Cooke’s Food Store/Fresh n’ Low stores in the greater Cleveland, Tennessee, area. Previously, Food City has bought several Piggly Wiggly operations in southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky and has also acquired White Stores, Bi-Lo locations and Winn-Dixie stores, per its website.
