Winn-Dixie Renovating Select Stores

Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. is in the process of overhauling certain locations among the 484 it operates in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, according to a published report.

The stores are completely renovated for around $5.5 million each, the Jacksonville, Fla., Daily Record reported, with the aim of boosting sales. According to Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie, revamped stores post an average $475 per square foot in sales, a 60 percent rise from the average $300 at its locations that haven’t been renovated.

The company’s so-called “transformational” stores focus on such elements as fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, prepared foods, specialty stations, and wine sections. Décor features include higher ceilings, wood and polished concrete floors, streamlined shelving, and community seating areas offering free coffee and Wi-Fi.

The grocer plans to open 17 transformational stores during the current fiscal year, which ends in June.