Bi-Lo Holdings, the Jacksonville, Florida-based owner of the Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie supermarket chains, says it is closing 23 stores in six states.
Bi-Lo spokesman Brian Wright told the Jacksonville Daily Record by email today that the company notified employees and local community leaders of the store closings Friday, with the stores expected to close by Nov. 19. The stores are being closed because of underperformance.
He said the closings represent a little less than 3 percent of the company’s total store base.
“With much of our attention during the last two years placed on merging 207 Bi-Lo and 480 Winn-Dixie stores and integrating 163 acquired Delhaize America stores, we purposely delayed what is normally an ongoing process of reviewing our network of stores,” Wright said.
“While closing underperforming stores is never easy for any retailer, we look forward to opening more than 25 new and remodeled stores during the remainder of the fourth quarter of 2014,” he added.
