Winn Dixie - Bi Lo

[fsujax]

The Business Journal is reporting the HQ will be in Jacksonville. Good news.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/03/12/bi-lo-holdings-moving-its-headquarters.html

[copperfiend]

Wow. That's great news.

[tufsu1]

intesresting, considering most of the top Winn Dixie execs are cashing out

[fsujax]

yeah. the early thoughts on this were the HQ would be moving to Greenville, especially after Lynch announced he would be resigning.

[thelakelander]

Nice. 

[CG7]

I know the people who work at the headqurters are happy. It can only be a good thing for the city as a whole.

[duvaldude08]

Whew. Thats was a close one.

[KenFSU]

Genuinely did not see this one coming.

Fantastic news.

[downtownjag]

Genuinely did not see this one coming.

Fantastic news.

Yeah, no kidding.  Happy Monday everyone!  OK, what's next???

[blizz01]

I suppose that they'll stay on Edgewood(?).  Would be pretty cool to see another Fortune 500 company logo on a downtown building.

[Dog Walker]

Most of the top Winn-Dixie executives were let go to be replaced with Bi-Lo people.  Only one Lynch hire was retained at the Exec VP level.  They did all have severance packages so it's not like they've been thrown out into the street.

[duvaldude08]

I suppose that they'll stay on Edgewood(?).  Would be pretty cool to see another Fortune 500 company logo on a downtown building.

I have thought about this for years. All of our other fourtane 500 companies are downtown. A HQ like winn dixie should be downtown. They need to be off Edgewood.

[thelakelander]

I don't think it will be a F500. Isn't the new company privately owned? I wouldn't be surprised if all of this is being set up to sell to a larger company.

[duvaldude08]

I don't think it will be a F500. Isn't the new company privately owned? I wouldn't be surprised if all of this is being set up to sell to a larger company.

It would still be nice to have it HQ downtown though. But you posed a good question about if it will remain fortune 500

[thelakelander]

Job loses coming to Greenville as a result of merger:

BI-LO Corporate Headquarters is packing up and moving to Florida. Around 450 people currently work at the company's corporate office in Mauldin. BI-LO is not saying how those employees will be affected by the move.

Ben Haskew, President and CEO of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, says, “Unfortunately there will be some lost jobs. We don't know yet exactly which jobs will move.”

Haskew says he was disappointed to learn BI-LO corporate is leaving Greenville. He says the company has made an impact, not just in the Upstate job market. Haskew says, “BI-LO has been a wonderful community and corporate citizen here, you know the BI-LO Center is an example, BI-LO Charities and what they've done with their annual golf tournament, but more importantly what they've given to charitable organizations in the community.” The executive director of BI-LO Charities says the company will continue to be involved in the communities it serves. 

The corporate move to Jacksonville comes as BI-LO merges with Winn-Dixie. A BI-LO spokesperson says no grocery stores are expected to close, and there will still be a strong regional presence with distribution and store support.

Winn-Dixie's headquarters are in Jacksonville. A BI-LO spokesperson says the company chose that city because it is centrally located for the eight-state operation. The Jacksonville Business Journal is also reporting that BI-LO is getting more than $6 million in incentives to re-locate to Florida.

Dr. Tom Smythe, a Furman University economics professor says, “The reality is as part of a merger you're trying to reduce cost, especially at sort of the corporate, administrative level.”

Smythe estimates at least half of the 450 corporate level jobs could be affected.

full article: http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/mar/12/9/bi-o-winn-dixie-merger-complete-headquarters-will--ar-3395101/