Jacksonville - Winn Dixie

Good news for the Jacksonville based Winn Dixie Corporation, according to a report out of CoStar, Bi-Lo Supermarket Chain plans for no store closers related to the purchase of Winn Dixie.
Read more of the article below:

Bi-Lo, the Greenville, SC-based supermarket chain,
agreed to buy Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: WINN) for $560 million. The new company will have around 687
grocery stores and a workforce of 63,000 in eight states throughout the
Southeast. Winn-Dixie shareholders will receive $9.50 in cash per share,
a 75 percent premium to the company’s closing stock on December 16. The
Jacksonville, FL-headquartered company will stop trading on the Nasdaq and
become a privately-held, wholly owned subsidiary of Bi-Lo. Bi-Lo has
17,000 employees and owns 207 supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and Tennessee. Winn-Dixie runs about 480 grocery stores in
Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi and has approximately
46,000 workers. “With no overlap in our markets, the combined company
will have a perfect geographic fit that will create a stronger platform from
which to provide our customers great products at a great value, while continuing
to offer exceptional service. Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie are both strong regional
brands with similar heritages, compelling customer connections, and outstanding
employees,” said Randall Onstead, Bi-Lo’s chairman. The deal is
scheduled to close in the next four months. After the merger it is anticipated
both companies will continue to run under their own brands, and no store
closures are planned.