Almost 100 years after the first Winn-Dixie opened in 1925, their stores are undergoing a big change. On Wednesday, August 16, ALDI announced it is acquiring approximately 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores. Here’s what Alabamians need to know.

A tale of two stores: Winn-Dixie + Harveys Supermarket

Both Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket are subsidiaries of Southeastern Grocers Inc., and Aldi is acquiring approximately 400 of their stores across the Southeast. According to ALDI’s announcement, this acquisition is a part of an expansion plan with a goal of 2,400 ALDI stores in the US by the end of 2023.

ALDI, which has over 2,300 locations across the US, is known for offering low-priced groceries. (They’re also known for requiring customers to pay a quarter for a grocery cart. But don’t worry, you get the quarter back when you return the cart.) Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI, said in the announcement:

“The time was right to build on our growth momentum and help residents in the Southeast save on their grocery bills.”

With locations in Florida and Georgia only, Harveys Supermarket may be a bit less familiar to Alabamians.

Winn-Dixie, on the other hand, has stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi—40 of these locations are in Alabama. Almost 100 years after the first Winn-Dixie opened in 1925, their stores are undergoing a big change.

What will ALDI change at Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket?

Assorted Fruits On Brown Wooden Shelf — Photo by Marques Thomas on Unsplash

According to ALDI’s announcement, some Winn-Dixie stores will be converted to ALDIs, and some will be business as usual.

“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.”

For those stores we do not convert, our intention is that these continue to operate as Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores.”
Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI (according to ALDI’s announcement)

How quickly can we expect changes to take place? It won’t be immediately. The transaction still has to close, which is expected to take place in the first half of 2024.

This announcement follows ALDI’s regional headquarters’ establishment in Loxley, Alabama in 2021.

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