From The Tribune staff reports
US — German supermarket ALDI acquires Winn-Dixie parent company Southeastern Grocers.
The deal includes over 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores across the southeast including Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana.
Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI USA, said in a press release that the move was to ensure continued growth in the southeast. “The time was right to build on our growth momentum in the Southeast. ALDI will operate Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores with the same level of care and focus on quality and service. Together, we’ll help customers save time and money when they need it the most and give employees rewarding careers they can feel proud of.”
This move adds to ALDI’s pledge of adding 120 more stores in the US to bring their store count to 2,400 by the end of 2024.
ALDI’s plan is to convert some Winn-Dixies and Harveys into ALDI but that won’t be the case for every store.
“ALDI will operate Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores with the same level of care and focus on quality and service, as we also evaluate which locations will convert to the ALDI format to better support the neighborhoods we’ll now have the privilege of serving,” said Hart. “For those stores we do not convert, our intention is that these continue to operate as Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores.”
ALDI expects the deal to close early 2024.