Aldi’s proposed acquisition of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket will boost its market share in the Southeast.
It still will be competing for business with the top stores in the markets, especially Walmart and Publix Super Markets Inc.
In some states, Kroger and Rouses Markets also are strong.
Germany-based Aldi, with U.S. headquarters near Chicago, will add Winn-Dixie and Harveys locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi to its portfolio.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2024 and is pending regulatory approval.
Southeastern Grocers, the Jacksonville-based parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys, announced an agreement Aug. 16 to sell the company to supermarket operator Aldi.
Southeastern Grocers said it is selling about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in the five states.
It has more than 320 Winn-Dixie, Harveys Supermarket and Fresco y Más stores in Florida, but is selling the 28 Fresco y Mas stores separately to an investment group called Fresco Retail Group LLC.
Some of the nearly 400 Winn-Dixie locations Aldi is acquiring will keep the Winn-Dixie branding and traditional store layout.
But Aldi CEO Jason Hart told CNN that Aldi will convert a “significant amount” of Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores to its bare-bones store format over the coming years.
The Shelby Report of the Southeast trade publication reports market shares. Some of the stores that do not reach a 0.2% share in a state are counted in an “all others” category.
That likely is the case in Louisiana.
Aldi had several stores but has been expanding this year in Louisiana, so that total market share was not yet registered.
The market shares from June-August show how Aldi could boost its impact.
Aldi website aldi.us.com says it has 346 stores in the five states, comprising 210 in Florida, 75 in Georgia, 40 in Alabama, 11 in Louisiana and 10 in Mississippi.
