Next-gen Winn-Dixie Store Debuts in South Tampa

Southeastern Grocers, parent company to Bi-Lo, Harveys and Winn-Dixie, has opened its second next-generation Winn-Dixie concept store, this one in South Tampa, Fla. Winn-Dixie at Hyde Park has been tailored specifically to its surrounding community, with a focus on high-quality food, value and customer service. The store is part of an extensive store remodel program undertaken by the grocer in 2016.

“Every part of this store was designed with the Hyde Park customer in mind,” asserted Ian McLeod, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, based in Jacksonville, Fla., site of the first new-concept store, which opened earlier this year. “Winn-Dixie at Hyde Park provides a contemporary, friendly and exciting in-store environment complete with quality products and offerings that the local community told us they’d want in a grocery store."

Features include healthy options and prepared meal solutions in response to customer requests for an easier, more convenient shopping experience; a health-and-wellness specialist available to offer product recommendations among the nearly 3,000 natural and organic products in a new health food store-within-a-store, Naturally Better; a variety of prepared meal selections at The Kitchen, which includes its own stone-hearth pizza and smokehouse; cheese and wine stewards; the Café, staffed by a trained barista and offering in-store seating and free WiFi; a sub station; a remodeled beer, wine and spirits shop; miniature shopping carts, engagement and entertainment for kids shopping with their parents; and an expanded kosher assortment.

To celebrate the new store’s opening, customers were invited to an Oct. 21 “Picnic in the Park” featuring a live jazz band in a park-like environment in the parking lot while sampling the location’s offerings, including specialty pizza; slow-smoked brisket; red quinoa salad; Anco cheese; fresh, hot mini doughnuts; and locally made Kahwa coffee with French vanilla ice cream for desert. The first 100 customers received a picnic basket of Winn-Dixie products.

A subsidiary of Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers, Winn-Dixie employs more than 40,000 associates at more than 500 grocery stores, 145 liquor stores and 385 in-store pharmacies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.