Winn-Dixie facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Supermarket/Retail |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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546 |
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Key people
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| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, produce, seafood, liquor |
| Revenue | $10 billion (2014) |
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Number of employees
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About 41,000 |
| Parent | Aldi Süd |
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a well-known American supermarket chain. Its main office is in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find over 546 Winn-Dixie stores across states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The company got its current name in 1955, but its story began way back in 1925.
Contents
What Makes Winn-Dixie Special?
Winn-Dixie is famous for its own brand of soft drinks called Chek. These drinks come in more than 20 different flavors, plus diet and caffeine-free options. That's a lot of choices! For a long time, Winn-Dixie has also been known as "The Beef People."
Over the years, Winn-Dixie has used many catchy slogans. In 1982, they said, “We’re Right For You.” From 1985 to 2001, their slogan was “America’s Supermarket.” Then came “The Real Deal” from 2001 to 2004. Since 2018, you might hear “It’s a Winn Win!” They also have special promises for different areas. For example, in Miami, they say "El Sabor De Tu País," which means "The Flavor Of Your Country."
Winn-Dixie was once a very big company, even listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This means people could buy and sell parts of the company. However, in 2005, the company had to go through a process called Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is when a company needs to reorganize its money and debts. After this, Winn-Dixie had fewer stores than it did in the 1960s.
In 2012, another supermarket chain called BI-LO bought Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie then became a part of a bigger company called Southeastern Grocers. The main office for this new, larger company stayed in Jacksonville, Florida.
More recently, in 2023, it was announced that a German supermarket company called Aldi Süd would buy about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores. Some of these stores might even become Aldi stores. In March 2024, Aldi finished buying Winn-Dixie's parent company.
Winn-Dixie's Journey Through Time
How It All Began
The story of Winn-Dixie started with William Milton Davis and his four sons: Artemus, James, Milton, and Tine. William Davis first bought a general store in Idaho in 1914. He called it Davis Mercantile. Back then, stores often let people buy things on credit, meaning they paid later.
But in the 1920s, new grocery stores appeared that only took cash. These stores offered lower prices and more choices. This made it hard for Davis's business.
So, in 1925, William Davis borrowed $10,000 from his father. He moved to Miami, Florida, and bought a store called Rockmoor Grocery. In 1927, his company was renamed Table Supply. They opened four more stores. By 1931, the Davis family bought another chain, Lively Stores, for $10,000. This created a chain of 33 Table Supply stores across Florida. William Milton Davis passed away in 1934, and his four sons took over the business.
In 1939, the Davis brothers bought most of a chain called Winn & Lovett. This chain had 73 stores. By 1944, they owned all of Winn & Lovett and combined their stores under that name. The company's main office moved to Jacksonville. Winn & Lovett kept growing, buying more stores in Kentucky and Florida. In 1952, Winn & Lovett became the first company from Florida to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Growing with New Stores
Winn & Lovett kept getting bigger by buying other store chains. In 1955, they bought stores in Mississippi and South Carolina. They also bought a large chain of 117 stores called Dixie Home. After this big purchase, they changed their company name to Winn-Dixie.
In 1956, Winn-Dixie bought more stores in North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia.
In 1967, Winn-Dixie even bought a chain called City Markets in the Bahamas. This meant they had stores reaching into the Caribbean. They ran 12 stores there until 2006.
Winn-Dixie also expanded into Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico in 1976 by buying the Buddies Supermarket chain. In 1995, they bought Thriftway Food Drug stores. In 2000, they acquired Jitney Jungle stores.
Community Involvement
Even though Winn-Dixie has been a public company since 1952, the Davis family always kept control. They were also involved in Florida politics and supported many community causes.
For example, the Davis brothers helped fund a building at Stetson University for their business school. They also gave a lot of money to the Boy Scouts of America in Central Florida. Because of their help, a Boy Scout camp was even renamed Winn-Dixie Scout Reservation for a time.
Winn-Dixie has also been a big part of the Jacksonville community. They were once the official supermarket of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a professional football team.
Facing Challenges
In 2002, Winn-Dixie closed all 76 of its stores in Texas and Oklahoma. In 2004, they announced they would close 156 more stores, including all their stores in the Midwest. Some stores in the Atlanta area were changed to a different brand called Save Rite Grocery Warehouse instead of closing. Later that year, they sold 10 stores in North Carolina and Virginia to another chain called Food Lion.
2005 Bankruptcy
On February 22, 2005, Winn-Dixie had to file for bankruptcy again. This meant they needed to reorganize their business and finances. They announced they would sell or close 326 stores. As part of this plan, Winn-Dixie left many states like the Carolinas, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. After this, Winn-Dixie mainly had stores in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia. They ended up with fewer stores than they had in the 1950s.
In 2006, they also sold their 12 stores in the Bahamas.
Being Acquired by BI-LO
On June 29, 2006, Winn-Dixie announced a plan to get out of bankruptcy. They successfully emerged from bankruptcy on November 21, 2006. After this, Winn-Dixie worked hard to update its existing stores and plan for new ones.
On December 19, 2011, Winn-Dixie agreed to be sold to another supermarket chain called BI-LO. Winn-Dixie became a part of BI-LO's parent company, Bi-Lo Holdings, but its stores kept the Winn-Dixie name.
By March 9, 2012, Winn-Dixie was officially part of Bi-Lo Holdings. This ended 67 years of ownership by the Davis family. The combined company had 750 stores and about 63,000 employees. The main office for the combined company stayed at Winn-Dixie's headquarters in Jacksonville.
In 2013, all remaining Sweetbay Supermarket locations were changed to Winn-Dixie stores. Bi-Lo Holdings later changed its name to Southeastern Grocers.
In 2017, Southeastern Grocers closed some Winn-Dixie stores. They also changed some Winn-Dixie stores into Harveys or Fresco y Más stores.
2018 Bankruptcy and Beyond
In February 2018, Southeastern Grocers sold some Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana and Mississippi to other companies.
On March 15, 2018, Southeastern Grocers announced they would file for bankruptcy again to reduce their debt. This plan meant 35 Winn-Dixie stores would close, along with other stores from their other brands.
In May 2018, Southeastern Grocers successfully completed its financial reorganization and came out of bankruptcy. They had 575 stores across seven states. They also planned to remodel 100 stores in 2018.
In February 2019, Southeastern Grocers announced plans to close 22 more locations, including 7 Winn-Dixie stores.
2023-24 Sale to Aldi
On August 16, 2023, Southeastern Grocers made a deal to sell 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores to the German supermarket chain Aldi Süd. Some of these stores will stay as Winn-Dixie or Harveys, while others might become Aldi stores. A different group bought the Fresco y Más stores and pharmacies.
In 2024, Southeastern Grocers finished selling its stores and ended its operations.
Where Are Winn-Dixie Stores?
As of November 28, 2022, Winn-Dixie has over 546 grocery stores in five states: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi.
| State | Number of Stores |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 39 |
| Florida | 460 |
| Georgia | 12 |
| Louisiana | 28 |
| Mississippi | 7 |
Winn-Dixie's Own Brands
Winn-Dixie has created many of its own store brands over the years. These are products made just for Winn-Dixie. In 2003, they simplified their brands into three main types:
- "Prestige" for fancy, higher-end products.
- "Winn-Dixie" for everyday items, like popular national brands.
- "Thrifty Maid" for budget-friendly items.
Over time, these brands changed names. Today, Winn-Dixie's main store brands are part of the "SE Grocers" family, which has different levels:
- SE Grocers Essentials: These are budget-friendly items for basic needs.
- SE Grocers: These are everyday items that are as good as national brands.
- SE Grocers Naturally Better: These products are natural, organic, or healthier choices.
- SE Grocers Prestige: This line offers more special, gourmet, or health-focused items.
- Chek: This is their popular soda brand.
- TopCare: This brand includes health and beauty products.
- Whiskers & Tails: This is for pet food and supplies.
- Kuddles: This brand offers baby food, diapers, and other baby items.
In 2013, BI-LO stores also started selling the popular "Chek" soda brand.
As of May 2017, Winn-Dixie had over 38,000 employees. They worked in about 500 grocery stores, 150 liquor stores, and 280 pharmacies inside the stores.
In 2020, Southeastern Grocers started a special grant program called the Romay Davis Belonging, Inclusion and Diversity Grant. This program helps fund organizations that support minority groups.
