Winn-Dixie has officially reopened two Jacksonville stores after throughly remodeling both of them.
As part of the overhauls, shoppers will find an expanded bakery along with a larger selection of fresh fruits and a wider selection of beers, including local craft beers.
If an effort to get shoppers back in the doors and get the word out, the two stores will be holding giveaways Saturday at 11 a.m. that will also include live entertainment.
Ribbons were cut Wednesday at the two stores to celebrate their official reopenings.
Councilman Jim Love took was on hand at the Argyle Store. Winn-Dixie made a $1,000 to the North Florida Red Cross to mark the occasion.
Meanwhile at the Oceanway store, Councilman Reggie Gaffney and First Coast High School Principal Timothy Simmons and the school band were on hand. The band paraded through the aisles as the school received a $1,000 donation from Winn-Dixie.
The store openings mark a bright spot for the supermarket chain owned by Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers, following a bankruptcy reorganization last year and a retrenching last week.
Southeastern Grocers announced Thursday it was closing 22 stores, including seven Winn-Dixies and two Harveys Supermarkets, although none of them are in the Jacksonville area.
The latest Winn-Dixie stores to be remodeled are at 8560 Argyle Forest Blvd. and 12333 Sago Ave. W.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
