Bi-Lo Identifies Stores It Plans To Close

Bi-Lo Holdings, which plans to close 23 stores in six states, has identified the Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie locations that will shutter by Nov. 19.

Bi-Lo spokesman Brian Wright told the Jacksonville Daily Record by email this week that the company notified employees and local community leaders of the store closings Oct. 3. The stores are being closed because of underperformance.

Florida has the most closings—six Winn-Dixies: Mangonia Park, Orlando (two), Rivera Beach, West Palm Beach and Wildwood.

Five stores will be shut down in Alabama: Clay, Hueytown, Montgomery (two stores) and Tallassee.

Georgia will lose four stores, in the southern part of the state: Columbus, Elberton and Valdosta (two). In Louisiana, a Winn-Dixie in Baton Rouge will be closed.

Closings in the Carolinas, presumably Bi-Lo stores, include Asheville, Charlotte and Kannapolis, North Carolina, and Bennettsville, Cheraw, Greenville and Taylors, South Carolina.

Wright 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.