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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>The Winn-Dixie at 2002 SW 34th St. is one of 94 underperforming stores under the parent company Southeastern Grocers that will be closed as the company prepares to file for bankruptcy at the end of March.</p>

The Winn-Dixie at 2002 SW 34th St. is one of 94 underperforming stores under the parent company Southeastern Grocers that will be closed as the company prepares to file for bankruptcy at the end of March.

Parker Kaleo goes to Winn-Dixie every other week to pick up milk because the 2002 SW 34th St. location is conveniently close to where he lives at the Ridge Apartments.

But the UF biochemistry and molecular biology sophomore might have to find a new place to buy milk, because the Gainesville Winn-Dixie on Southwest 34th Street and 29 others in Florida are closing.

“I guess it’s a shock,” Kaleo, 19, said. “I wasn’t really expecting it.”

Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., is filing for bankruptcy by the end of March, said Joe Caldwell, Southeastern Grocers’ corporate communications manager. The company announced Thursday it is closing 94 underperforming stores nationwide as part of a restructuring support agreement, which is a legal plan companies undergo when filing bankruptcy.

The 94 closures also include Harveys and BI-LO locations, two other supermarket chains also under Southeastern Grocers, Caldwell said.

These closures will reduce Southeastern Grocers’ debt by about $500 million, Caldwell said. The stores will be closed by April 30.

The Gainesville Winn-Dixie on 300 SW 16th Ave. is not part of the closures, Caldwell, said.

A manager at the 34th Street location declined to comment.

Most current store associates can be transferred to sister locations if they choose to do so, Caldwell said.

“Retention of our associates is our number one priority,” he said.

Gainesville resident Diamond Holloway said she is sad to see the Winn-Dixie will be shutting down because she finds the prices are better than most other grocers in the area.

“Sometimes they have a cheaper deal than Walmart so that’s basically why we come here a lot,” the 30-year-old said.

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There have not been any announcements on what will replace the 34th Street location. Caldwell said Southeastern Grocers lease most of their store spaces, so it would be entirely up to the owner of the building.

The Winn-Dixie at 2002 SW 34th St. is one of 94 underperforming stores under the parent company Southeastern Grocers that will be closed as the company prepares to file for bankruptcy at the end of March.

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