is a
Supermarket Chain based in
Jacksonville ,
Florida .
After A 2005 Restructuring , it will have 587 stores throughout Florida, in four other
Deep South states, and in the
Bahamas ; the restructuring left the chain with fewer stores than it had in the late
1960s . The company has existed under its present name since
1955 and can date its roots back to
1913 .
Prior to filing for
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy , Winn-Dixie was listed in the
S&P 500 and had been traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the
Ticker Symbol "WIN" since
February 18 ,
1952 . The company is currently traded under the symbol "WNDXQ" on the
Pink Sheets Electronic Quotation Service.
They are known for their
Private Label Chek brand
Soft Drinks , which are produced in over 20 different flavors plus diet and
Caffeine -free varieties — one of the widest assortments anywhere. The company also sells snacks under the private-label brand
Crackin' Good Snacks . They are known as "The
Beef People", though this slogan has seen decreased usage recently.
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In 2003 the company's stock was the worst-performing of the
S&P 500 , a year which saw the chain with over 1000 stores.
In April 2004 Winn-Dixie announced the closure of 156 stores, including all 111 stores located in the . The company had been hit hard by competition, especially from
Publix and
Wal-Mart . Another forty stores in the
Atlanta Area were converted to their
Save Rite Grocery Warehouse brand, as an alternative to store closure. Also all of the store chains
North Carolina locations closed and a vast majority of those in
South Carolina as well.
On
February 22 ,
2005 , Winn-Dixie filed for bankruptcy. On
June 21 , it announced the sale or closure of 326 stores, resulting in the loss of over 22,000 jobs. Once the restructuring is complete, Winn-Dixie will operate in the
Bahamas , throughout
Florida , and in four of the
Deep South states, including the southeastern half of
Louisiana , the southeast corner of
Mississippi , most of
Alabama , and the southwest corner of
Georgia .
On
February 28 ,
2006 , 35 more stores were announced as being sold or closed within the coming months, with the Central and South Florida areas being the most affected.
On March 31, it was announced that the chain will sell its 12 Bahamian locations, which had been operated by a wholly owned subsidiary, W-D Ltd, under the names City Market and Winn-Dixie.[http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/30/D8GM646G9.html
Their bankruptcy case is being handled in Jacksonville area by Steve Busey and Cyndi Jackson of the law firm Smith, Hulsey, & Busey, and by the New York firm of
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP .
