Southeastern Grocers’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan is a go after a judge approved it Monday.
Under the plan, the Jacksonville-based chain expects to reduce its debt by approximately $600 million and continue to operate more than 575 Winn Dixie, Bi-Lo, Fresco y Mas and Harveys stores in seven states, including Florida.
In March, Southeastern Grocers announced it was closing 94 stores, including these area locations:
- Harveys, 3000 Dunn Ave., Jacksonville
- Harveys, 1012 Edgewood Ave. N. , Jacksonville
- Winn-Dixie, 9866 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville
- Winn-Dixie, 248 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park
- Winn-Dixie, 510 Tebeau St. , Waycross, Ga.
- Winn-Dixie, 2002 SW 34th St., Gainesville
A full list of the stores scheduled to close that was released in March is available here.
The company’s goal is to emerge from bankruptcy in the coming weeks.
Anthony Hucker, President and Chief Executive Officer of SEG, said in a news release, "We are delighted with the Court's swift approval which marks a major milestone in the transformation and correction of our business.”
Hucker went on to say the reorganization paves the way for Southeastern Grocers to emerge “as a strong, viable business that is well-positioned to succeed in the competitive retail market.”
Supermarkets have been hurt by growing competition, and delivery services increasingly offered by big box stores, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon.
Amazon also offers Whole Foods delivery service in six cities after purchasing the chain last year.
In Jacksonville, the Whole Foods Market at 10601 San Jose Boulevard is currently offering home delivery via instacart.com.
Whole Foods Market is proposing to renovate its only Jacksonville location, updating much of the Mandarin store’s food-service areas in an almost $643,000 project, according to our Daily Record news partner. The Daily Record also reports groundbreaking on a new Publix in San Marco is expected within a year.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
