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Upstate Winn-Dixie Closings


GSP Tiger

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It has been two weeks now since Winn Dixie announced they were closing all their North and South Carolina stores. Obviosuly, this includes the entire Greenville-Spartanburg area.

So far, the only store that is officially in hte process to be store is Clemson's Winn Dixie Marketplace. Bi-Lo built a new store across the street some years ago, and Ingle's has a new store going up in Central. I think Publix is the buyer here.

Bi-Lo is in the bidding process for stores in Chapin and Cayce. There's speculation they will buy some existing stores in Belton, Spartanburg (US176), Westminister, West Union, and Williamston.

Most of Winn Dixie stores in this area are across/down/up the street from a competiitor (Ingle's, Bi-Lo, Publix), so those stores will most likely close at the end of August.

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Here is a useful link to the Winn-Dixie closings info:

http://www.winn-dixie.com/locations/list.asp

I hope that Publix is buying the Winn-Dixie in Clemson. The lack of a Publix is one part of moving up there that I am not looking forward to.

I was suprised that they were so indescriminate about their closings. The Winn-Dixie in Cayce did very well, and it was/is a good store. I am glad that store will continue to be occupied.

I take it you know someone who works for the Bilo/Publix corporation (whatever they call it now)?

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As far as the upstate is concerned, I am glad that Winn-Dixie is closing its stores. They have gone downhill a lot during the last 20 years, and hopefully the closings will mean progress (i.e., existing grocers or new entrants into the Greenville market will buy the Winn-Dixie stores and improve them).

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Wouldnt it be in the real estate transactions page the local paper? (Not sure what they read in Clemson/Central)

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I don't think so. I think Winn Dixie Leases their locations. I think when someone buys one of the stores they are buying what is inside it, the lease, etc.

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I do not know if we will have any new entrants, such as Harris Teeter and Food Lion.  Harris Teeter was here before during the 1990s, but they gave up on what could have been a good area for them.  Food Lion, who has stores in western North Carolina, Laurens, and Gaffeney, seems to have forgotten the upstate area.  I have seen Food Lion trucks picking up goods from Columbia Farms on Rutherford Road.

Existing grocers, such as Bi-Lo, Publix, and Ingle's, have stores in much better locations near former Winn Dixie stores.  Winn Dixie made the mistake in building new stores in the middle of nowhere (Pearman Dairy Rd- Anderson), dead shopping centers (Easley, Greer), hard to get in/out (Belton, Williamston), etc.

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Harris Teeter or Food Lion most likely won't buy any of the stores.. Bi-Lo will probably be the biggest buyer.

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Harris Teeter or Food Lion most likely won't buy any of the stores.. Bi-Lo will probably be the biggest buyer.

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I will second that.

Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and probably Lowe's Foods will have no trouble acquiring Winn Dixie stores in North Carolina. Ingle's is probably the only North Carolina grocer not interest in buying any Winn Dixie stores, probably because of the store layout and locations.

One thing I have noticed about vacant 35.000-40,000 square feet Winn Dixie stores is that Big Lots moves in. This has happened at Greer, Greenville (Anderson Road & Woodruff Road), and Spartanburg (Cedar Springs). Rumor has it Big Lots will relocate their North Pleasanburg store into the old Winn Dixie on Wade Hampton,. Besides Corona, it would become the only tenant in that shopping center when Kmart closes in August.

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I wouldn't be surprised about Big Lots.

Someting of note though, Bi-Lo will take the store in Goldsboro, NC, their first North Carolina store EAST of I-95 i believe. Bilo doesn't have stores in Raleigh, Durham or the immediate triangle area but they do have stores in Fayetteville.

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I wouldn't be surprised about Big Lots. 

Someting of note though, Bi-Lo will take the store in Goldsboro, NC, their first North Carolina store EAST of I-95 i believe.  Bilo doesn't have stores in Raleigh, Durham or the immediate triangle area but they do have stores in Fayetteville.

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I have always wanted to see Bi-Lo expand into eastern North Carolina. Even though they claimed to be pulling out of Greensboro and Fayetteville a couple months ago, Bi-Lo has rescinded its decision and will aggressively pursue opportunities in the triad and other eastern North Carolina markets.

Any chance Ingle's will expand eastward past 77?

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Oh... so they aren't really leaving the area. They can essentially move back in whenever they want to by ending the lease. Clever.

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What I mean is that Winn Dixie doesn't own them to begin with, they lease from someone and would be subleasing or assining their lease to another business.

I will second that.

Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and probably Lowe's Foods will have no trouble acquiring Winn Dixie stores in North Carolina.  Ingle's is probably the only North Carolina grocer not interest in buying any Winn Dixie stores, probably because of the store layout and locations.

One thing I have noticed about vacant 35.000-40,000 square feet Winn Dixie stores is that Big Lots moves in.  This has happened at Greer, Greenville (Anderson Road & Woodruff Road), and Spartanburg (Cedar Springs).  Rumor has it Big Lots will relocate their North Pleasanburg store into the old Winn Dixie on Wade Hampton,.  Besides Corona, it would become the only tenant in that shopping center when Kmart closes in August.

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Are you talking about the Big Lots at Greer Plaza? Their is a Winn Dixie right next to it. Or are you saying that the Big Lots space used to be a Winn Dixie and Winn Dixie built a larger space next to their old one and then Big Lots took over the smaller one?

BTW, their are rumors that that Big Lots at Greer Plaza may be moving to the Old K-Mart in Greer on Wade Hampton where Tractor Supply Store Resides. Not in TSS space but what is left next to it.

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Are you talking about the Big Lots at Greer Plaza?  Their is a Winn Dixie right next to it.  Or are you saying that the Big Lots space used to be a Winn Dixie and Winn Dixie built a larger space next to their old one and then Big Lots took over the smaller one?

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Before they built their new store in Greer Plaza about 11 years ago, Winn Dixie was previously in the space where Big Lots is now. When Winn Dixie moved over to their new store, an independent women's department store, Newberry's, went in for a year or two. After a couple years, Big Lots moved in.

BTW, their are rumors that that Big Lots at Greer Plaza may be moving to the Old K-Mart in Greer on Wade Hampton where Tractor Supply Store Resides.  Not in TSS space but what is left next to it.

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Piedmont Plaza was a dying shopping center when Kmart was there. I have been inside TSC. It is a nice store, but their front end is nothing to be proud about. They have only two registers with only one open. It took about 30-45 minutes just to be served. Grocery Outlet at the other end is not doing that well in sales.

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I would love to see Kroger in the Greenville market. I think that is realistic, given their involvement in the Southeast. That would certainly be better than a bunch of abandoned Winn-Dixie stores, with the only potential tenant being Big Lots. :(

I definitely agree that a lot of Winn-Dixie's stores are in bad locations. Whoever made their location decisions made some bad judgment calls.

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I think the Winn Dixie closings give some of the alternative grocers a chance to expand. A third Earth Fair maybe? A second Whole Foods? A second Fresh Market? A second Garners? Or something new to the market....Wild Oats or Trader Joes. Greenville ranks high nationally as far as percent of expenditures at alternative markets (what other city of similar size has a Whole Foods, 2 Earth Fares, Garners, Fresh Market? Hopefully the closed Winn Dixies will be more than just Bi-Lo's. If they are Bi-Lo's, please let them have Starbucks and sushi bars. :D

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I think the Winn Dixie closings give some of the alternative grocers a chance to expand.  A third Earth Fair maybe?  A second Whole Foods?  A second Fresh Market?  A second Garners?  Or something new to the market....Wild Oats or Trader Joes.  Greenville ranks high nationally as far as percent of expenditures at alternative markets (what other city of similar size has a Whole Foods, 2 Earth Fares, Garners, Fresh Market?    Hopefully the closed Winn Dixies will be more than just Bi-Lo's.  If they are Bi-Lo's, please let them have Starbucks and sushi bars.  :D

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Bi-Lo has a full service sushi bar in their first Super Bi-Lo store in Columbia's The Village at Sandhill. I will try to check it out when I head down through Columbia again.

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I would love to see Kroger in the Greenville market.  I think that is realistic, given their involvement in the Southeast.  That would certainly be better than a bunch of abandoned Winn-Dixie stores, with the only potential tenant being Big Lots. :

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Should Kroger enter the upstate and WNC, I think acquiring Bi-Lo would be a good fir for them. Bi-Lo can be the regional supermarket that many people within this region knows well, and Kroger strengthens itself as the United States' leading rocer.

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I doubt if any high-end, alternative grocers go into the Winn-Dixie Locations. According to Winn-Dixie's website, most of these locations haven't even received bids yet. (In fact, on second glance, no Winn Dixie stores in Greenville/Spartanburg has been bid on yet!!) If no bids are received by July 18th, these stores will close.

Big Lots, Flea Markets, here they come!

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I doubt if any high-end, alternative grocers go into the Winn-Dixie Locations.  According to Winn-Dixie's website, most of these locations haven't even received bids yet.  (In fact, on second glance, no Winn Dixie stores in Greenville/Spartanburg has been bid on yet!!)  If no bids are received by July 18th, these stores will close.

Big Lots, Flea Markets, here they come!

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The only store in the upstate to have received bids is Clemson's Winn Dixie Marketplace. This was one of two stores in the upstate to have a Food Pavilion, a large area of the store with a deli, a cheese shop, and a cafe on one side, the soup and salad bar in the middle island, and the bakery on the other side. The other store was in Taylors, which opened up in July 1995 and closed in May 2000. As Bi-Lo and Ingle's have new stores nearby, they are not in the bidding process. I have heard Publix is strongly eager to have stores in Clemson and Seneca.

As the deadline nears, more bids if any should be coming in. Westminister and Williamston should be desirable locations because Winn Dixie Marketplace is the only supermarket in those towns. Bi-Lo is strongly rumored to build a store in Westminister.

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I think the Winn Dixie closings give some of the alternative grocers a chance to expand.  A third Earth Fair maybe?  A second Whole Foods?  A second Fresh Market?  A second Garners?  Or something new to the market....Wild Oats or Trader Joes.  Greenville ranks high nationally as far as percent of expenditures at alternative markets (what other city of similar size has a Whole Foods, 2 Earth Fares, Garners, Fresh Market?    Hopefully the closed Winn Dixies will be more than just Bi-Lo's.  If they are Bi-Lo's, please let them have Starbucks and sushi bars.  :D

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There is a Wild Oats opening on Woodruff Rd.

The only store in the upstate to have received bids is Clemson's Winn Dixie Marketplace.  This was one of two stores in the upstate to have a Food Pavilion, a large area of the store with a deli, a cheese shop, and a cafe on one side, the soup and salad bar in the middle island, and the bakery on the other side.  The other store was in Taylors, which opened up in July 1995 and closed in May 2000.  As Bi-Lo and Ingle's have new stores nearby, they are not in the bidding process.  I have heard Publix is strongly eager to have stores in Clemson and Seneca.

As the deadline nears, more bids if any should be coming in.  Westminister and Williamston should be desirable locations because Winn Dixie Marketplace is the only supermarket in those towns.  Bi-Lo is strongly rumored to build a store in Westminister.

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The Taylors Winn Dixie is in the process of being converted to a state of the art gym, Pivital Fitness.

Rumor has it that by the time it opens or shortly after that it will be sold to and actually become a Gold's Gym instead.

The area of the Eastside could use another GYM, ask anyone who is a member of the Eastside YMCA and they can attest to how crowded it is these days.

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The Taylors Winn Dixie is in the process of being converted to a state of the art gym, Pivital Fitness.

Rumor has it that by the time it opens or shortly after that it will be sold to and actually become a Gold's Gym instead.

The area of the Eastside could use another GYM, ask anyone who is a member of the Eastside YMCA and they can attest to how crowded it is these days.

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Pivitol Fitness has been open for a couple weeks now and it is not doing well financially. I do not know if they will last much longer. I heard Ingle's wanting to demolish the old Winn Dixie and build a 65,000 square foot store there. It would really create competion among the Hudson Road Bi-Lo, which is adding a pharmacy this fall.

Did the Eastside Y undergo expansion about two to three years ago? I know it is in a good location, but it is very hard to get into it these days.

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I can definately attest to the fact that the workout room at the Eastside Y is getting crowded, at least on Monday evenings around 6. Most other times it is not too bad.

They probably need to double the size of the workout room. Space is at a premium.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Getting back on topic, Winn Dixie has updated its list of 102 stores that in are agreement to be sold. Here's a list of the following upstate stores that are in agreement to be sold:

Winn Dixie Marketplace #1049

Applewood Shopping Center

1561 West Highway 123

Seneca, SC

Features: ATM, Bakery, Deli, Floral, Grocery, Health & Beauty Care, Meat, Produce, Seafood

Winn Dixie Marketplace #1242

Langston Place Shoppince Center

500 Old Greenville Highway Suite 1

Clemson, SC

Features: ATM, Bakery, Deli, Floral, Grocery, Health & Beauty Care, Meat, Pharmacy, Photo Processing, Produce, Seafood

Winn Dixie Marketplace #1297

642 Sulphur Springs Road

Greenville, SC

Features: ATM, Bakery, Deli, Floral, Grocery, Health & Beauty Care, Meat, Pharmacy, Photo Processing, Produce, Seafood

All other Winn Dixie and Winn Dixie Marketplace stores in Abbeville, Anderson, Belton, Duncan, Easley, Greenville, Greenwood, Greer, Gaffney, Laurens, Pickens, Spartanburg, Traveler's Rest, Union, Westminister, West Union, and Williamston will definitely close within the next few weeks.

As for the stores above that are in agreement to be sold, Bi-Lo has submitted a bid for the Winn Dixie Marketplace in Clemson. Knowing there's already a Bi-Lo across the street, this move may mean Bi-lo would like to offer these associates opportunites at Bi-Lo stores within the immediate area.

As for the Seneca and Berea Winn Dixie Marketplace stores, both are only one or two blocks away from a Bi-Lo. Two other chains, Publix and Ingle's, currently do not have stores within these immediate areas. Publix has built current stores where there were previously a Winn Dixie (Greenville's McAlister Square and University Square, Mauldin's Mauldin Square, and Taylors' Hampton Village).

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  • 2 months later...

Pivitol Fitness has been open for a couple weeks now and it is not doing well financially. I do not know if they will last much longer. I heard Ingle's wanting to demolish the old Winn Dixie and build a 65,000 square foot store there. It would really create competion among the Hudson Road Bi-Lo, which is adding a pharmacy this fall.

One thing to remember about Ingles. They aren't a "grocery store" chain. Rather, they buy land, build a store, and lease the remaining parcels. Ingles is a real estate holding company, not a grocer. I can't imagine them buying this parcel (and that's what they'd do if they built a store on it).

On paper, they have a much higher value for their RE holdings, and not their performance as a grocer.

I would love to see Publix have a larger presence here, and Kroger would be a good addition. I wouldn't mind seeing Harris Teeter or Food Lion make a comeback as well. Bi-Lo, to me, is overpriced & generic, and needs some stronger competition.

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