The last Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket in Ocala may remain open under their current brands after a group of private investors purchased around 170 of the stores back from ALDI, staving off the conversion that befell multiple sites, including a store in Marion Oaks.
Led by C & S Wholesale Grocers, LLC, the group of investors announced its acquisition of the Southeastern Grocers (SEG) brand from ALDI on Friday, February 7. According to the press release from Winn-Dixie, the consortium immediately assumed “day-to-day operation of Winn-Dixie grocery and liquor stores and Harveys Supermarkets” upon the acquisition.
The agreement calls for the acquisition of SEG grocery and liquor store operations under the Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners, including 170 stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida.
SEG is the parent company of Harveys and Winn-Dixie.
In Ocala, the last remaining Winn-Dixie grocery store is located at 7131 N. U.S. Hwy 441. Across Marion County, there are three other Winn-Dixie locations in Silver Springs, Belleview, and Dunnellon currently in operation.
Neither C & S nor SEG have yet announced whether the last four locations in Marion County, along with the last remaining Harveys Supermarket in Ocala (3435 N Pine Ave), will remain open under their banners.
In a statement from SEG, Ocala-News.com was told that employees at various locations will be notified first of any decisions “as they are finalized, and as market conditions permit.”
Closures will then be shared with each community once the “associates have been appropriately informed,” according to SEG.
“This consortium continues C&S and SEG’s longstanding partnership. For 20 years, we have worked together to feed our communities,” said Eric Winn, Chief Executive Officer of C & S.
C & S Wholesale Grocers bills itself as an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the country. The company was founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores and now services more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions.
All of those conversions are expected to be complete by 2027.
Winn-Dixie, which celebrates its centennial anniversary this year, currently operates in five states. Ocala’s second Winn-Dixie in Marion Oaks is no longer in operation and is being converted into an ALDI. That location is currently hiring.
UPDATE: This story was updated to include details about the other Winn-Dixie locations in Marion County.