Bi-Lo Buying Tampa's Sweetbay

[thelakelander]

TAMPA â€" Will Sweetbay become Winn-Dixie?

It's possible after the Jacksonville parent of Winn-Dixie announced Tuesday that it will buy what remains of the tattered Sweetbay Supermarket chain.

Bi-Lo Holdings wants to purchase Sweetbay and two additional chains from their Belgian owner Delhaize Group for $265 million in cash. The deal calls for Bi-Lo, which acquired Winn-Dixie in 2011, to buy 72 Sweetbay stores, plus leases for 10 prior Sweetbay locations.

In addition, Bi-Lo will purchase 72 Harveys stores and 11 Reid's stores for a total of 165 stores with about 10,000 employees throughout the southeastern United States. In 2012, those 165 stores generated revenues of about $1.8 billion.

Delhaize, which will retain Sweetbay's distribution center in Plant City, has been under severe pressure to cut grocery costs in its U.S. operations.

full article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/tampa-based-sweetbay-supermarkets-sold/2123492

[Gators312]

Sweetbay Supermarkets to be renamed Winn Dixie

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Bi-Lo Holdings, LLC ("Bi-Lo Holdings"), parent company of BI-LO and Winn-Dixie supermarket chains, today announced its intent to continue the Harveys banner name and retire the Sweetbay and Reid's banner names following the close of its transaction with Delhaize Group (euronext brussels:DELB - NYSE) ("Delhaize"), parent company of Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid's supermarket chains.

Upon the close of the transaction, Sweetbay stores will convert to the Winn-Dixie banner and Reid's stores will convert to the BI-LO banner. Pending regulatory review, Bi-Lo Holdings intends to retain all store-level associates within the stores being acquired and operated.

The majority of Harveys stores will remain branded as they are today, though a few Harveys stores may convert to the Winn-Dixie or BI-LO banner or vice versa. Conversion of the banner names is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2014.

The transitioning of Sweetbay and Reid's stores to Winn-Dixie and BI-LO banners respectively is to reduce overlapping footprints. There is little overlap between BI-LO, Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores. Through this transaction, we will be able to provide our great products at a great value to a broader base of customers.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bi-lo-holdings-to-rebanner-sweetbay-and-reids-stores-harveys-banner-to-continue-2013-10-08?reflink=MW_news_stmp

[FSBA]

Interesting. I wonder how much of this is Bi-Lo trying to cut off any potential market entrance from Kroger or expansion of Wal-Mart Marketplace's vs genuine interest in expansion.

[I-10east]

Recently on TV, I saw a Sweetbay outfield sign in that large warehouse when the Rays played in the playoff series; I guess that sign will be changing to either Winn Dixie or Publix.

[fsquid]

their corporate team is hiring a bunch of people in advance to all these acquisitions and the IPO that is coming.

[TheCat]

Looks like the deal is done.

Bi-Lo Holdings, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, has completed its purchase of 165 grocery stores from the Delhaize Group for $246 million cash.

http://members.jacksonville.com/business/2014-06-02/story/winn-dixie-parent-bi-lo-adds-165-stores