JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southeastern Grocers, Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, concludes 2020 with the completion of 41 new and renewed grocery stores that provide local residents throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi with an enhanced shopping experience. Over the course of the year, the grocer has renewed 32 stores throughout its footprint to offer improved shopping experiences, opened eight brand new Winn-Dixie stores in Florida and expanded its growing Hispanic grocery store, Fresco y Más, into a new community in Southwest Florida.
With a tailored approach, each of the grocer’s new and renewed stores is designed with the customers in mind to provide a unique shopping experience specific to the needs and preferences of their community. Each store features the freshest produce from local and regional growers, locally caught seasonal seafood, a wide selection of convenient grab-and-go meal options with varieties specifically selected for each community and the highest-quality meats, including exclusive Certified Angus Beef® and prime beef.
Anthony Hucker, President and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said, “The challenges of this year only strengthened our resolve to support, elevate and grow the communities we serve. Our dedicated team of associates worked tirelessly to help make our communities safer and stronger – while also working to continue to refresh and grow our network of stores. Southeastern Grocers provides our customers and communities a shopping experience they can always count on, and we are delighted to have invested in 41 new and renewed grocery stores this year.”
Southeastern Grocers began its expansion in February with the opening of a new Winn-Dixie store in the grocer’s hometown of Jacksonville in response to local city and community pleas to combat an impending food desert in the Brentwood community. Continuing to listen to the communities it serves, Southeastern Grocers expanded its Hispanic grocery store, Fresco y Más, into Lehigh Acres to provide the growing Southwest Florida Hispanic community with an authentic Hispanic grocery store in October. To close out the year, the grocer introduced brand new stores to the Boynton Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Lakewood Ranch communities on Nov. 11, followed by Lake Mary and West Melbourne on Dec. 9 and, most recently, the Fort Myers community on Dec. 16. Southeastern Grocers also expanded its popular sip and shop offering with the addition of three new WD’s Taproom in the new Gainesville, Lake Mary and West Melbourne stores.
In 2020, Southeastern Grocers, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, donated more than $115,000 into the communities it serves during grand opening celebrations. Each grand opening event was celebrated with a donation to a local community partner that strives to make a difference in the lives of community members. This year, the grocer supported local heroes, including firefighters, police officers and first responders who protect and serve our communities, veterans organizations that honor and support those who have fought and continue to fight for our country’s freedoms and their families, educational professionals who help nurture students inside and outside of the classroom and food banks committed to providing families in need with hunger relief.
Throughout the year, Southeastern Grocers has provided more than 700 new jobs and opportunities to community members throughout Florida with the opening of the new stores and welcomed more than 2,000 additional new associates to provide quality shopping experiences throughout the grocer’s footprint.
Southeastern Grocers remains committed to its continued investment in the communities it serves, and as a continued COVID-19 safety precaution, the grocer encourages customers to practice social distancing and wear necessary protective equipment while shopping. Customers can also enjoy all the benefits of their new and renewed Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Más stores in the comfort of their homes with the grocer’s convenient delivery services. New customers can download the Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie mobile apps and enroll in the loyalty program for additional savings, coupons and rewards.
About Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers, Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the U.S. SEG grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies serve communities throughout the seven southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and caring associates and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.bi-lo.com, www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
About SEG Gives Foundation
SEG Gives Foundation is the charitable arm of Southeastern Grocers, Inc. (SEG), parent company of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores. The SEG Gives Foundation aligns giving with causes that are priorities to the communities SEG serves, including the fight against hunger, support for military service members and their families, relief to those affected by extreme weather and natural disasters and quality educational opportunities for students. Southeastern Grocers strives to be ingrained in its communities and, through the SEG Gives Foundation, better the lives of its customers and neighbors.
