Winn-Dixie to exit Alabama, focus on growing store presence in Florida

The parent company of Winn-Dixie has announced plans to divest its stores in Alabama and other states to focus its efforts on Florida and extreme south Georgia.

Southeastern Grocers, LLC has announced that it will transition ownership of most of its grocery stores outside of Florida. It says it has reached agreements or is advancing plans with multiple grocers.

Those plans involve 32 Winn-Dixie stores and eight Harveys Supermarkets in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Store closings are expected to be completed by year-end, with transitions under new ownership to be completed by early next year.

Winn-Dixie, which turned 100 years old this year, has had a longtime presence in our part of Alabama and has stores remaining in Montgomery and several other local cities. Each store