Winn-Dixie files bankruptcy; loses out to Wal-Mart

[NVMojo]

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (WIN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , once among the most profitable of U.S. grocers, on Tuesday said it filed for bankruptcy protection, succumbing to stiff competition from giant discounter Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) .

The grocer, founded in 1925, said it had lined up an $800 million debtor-in-possession financing from Wachovia Bank, replacing a $600 million credit line.

It filed Chapter 11 petitions late on Monday at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, according to a company statement. Winn-Dixie said the petition covered itself and 23 U.S. subsidiaries.

more...

http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=7704056

[Randi_Listener]

1. Winn-Dixie sux

The stores are dirty, understocked, and lick donkey balls.

[NVMojo]

10. never been to a winn-dixie but the walmart in my town is usually

yucky too.

[SoCalDem]

2. Let me guess... Winn-Dixie has union employees???

and they are well paid, with decent benefits??

say no more...

The juggernaut that IS walmart, simply MUST destroy any and wall who DARE to pay fair wages and provide benefits..

It just "ain't the 'Murican Way".:puke:

[SoCalDem]

5. Some good articles about walmart vs grocery stores

http://www.davidjlivingston.com/inthenews/news-q2-04.html

Grocery chain to cut 10,000 jobs
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zwinn01may01,0,4783165.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 1, 2004
In 2001, David Livingston, a retail expert from Pewaukee, Wis., compared Fort Lauderdale-area Winn-Dixie and Publix stores. He found that the 10 Winn-Dixie stores he studied averaged sales of less than $300,000 per week, compared to a weekly average of about $600,000 at nine Publix stores. He said he doubts much has changed and predicts eventual bankruptcy for the chain.

"I don't know how they are going to hang on," he said. Meanwhile, he said, employee-owned Publix has the advantage over publicly traded Winn-Dixie, which must respond to shareholders. And Wal-Mart's influence is bound to grow.

"One thing we do know is that Wal-Mart is not going to be backing down from their advancement and Winn-Dixie is like a deer caught in the headlights," he said.

---

http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/jun04/237907.asp

Wal-Mart forces grocers to scramble
JSOnline, Milwaukee, June 19, 2004

The coming industry shakeout will probably close some supermarkets, including some with union employees whose health insurance benefits are superior to what Wal-Mart provides.

"There is only room on the bus for so many people," said Pewaukee supermarket consultant David Livingston, "and when a big fat guy like Wal-Mart gets on, two little guys have to get off."

[TwentyFive]

14. It's more like a Bully with a Pack of Pit Bulls

Either you get off...or spend the rest of the ride finding a way not to be attacked by the Pit Bulls.

[Johnyawl]

8. I don't think so...

...it's based in the south, and I believe they're as vehemently anti-union as Wal-Mart. When they moved into the northwest a decade or so ago, they came in under the WinnCo banner, and generated a good deal of sound and fury because of their anti-union stance. At the time, all the large grocery chains in Western Washington were unionized, and the unions made a big deal out of this.

This appears to me to be one exploitive conglomerate succumbing to the predatory practices of a bigger exploitive conglomerate. I'm not gonna shed any tears for them.

[Retired AF Dem]

13. Nope

Winn-Dixie just practiced poor business. If you read the article you would also discovered that Publix is kicking Winn-Dixie's ass. Publix is owned by the employees, kicks union ass any day.

[Sandpiper]

24. Winn-Dixie is southern-based

And operates for the most part in right to work (for less) states.

So, to answer your question, no, not for the most part.


When I lived in the south, I never liked shopping at Winn-Dixie and found most of their stores to be small and dirty.

[mr_hat]

3. "Because of Wal-Mart"

[Retired AF Dem]

16. "Because of Wal-Mart"

Yep Wal-Mart goes out and kidnaps shoppers and makes them shop in their stores. :) I never shop at Wal-Mart it is because I made a choice. Other people (lot's of other people) made the choice to shop there. That is what makes them so big.

[mr_hat]

20. It's a joke. There's a book/movie called "Because of Winn-Dixie."

Doubt many little girls will adopt stray dogs and name them Wal-Mart, see?

[tabasco]

4. Friggin walmart drove Food Lion outta my town.

That was my favorite place for groceries. I might go into walmart if I'm starving, but maybe not.

[nookiemonster]

6. It's been about a year since I set foot in a Wal-Mart.

Fascist bastards will never see my money again.

[donheld]

7. Is there 1 Winn-Dixie in any red state

Don't red states prefer wal-mart.

[ClintonTyree]

9. Winn-Dixie is prevalent in the south..............

many, MANY red states. I agree with the 1st poster, they're dirty as hell. I've never been in one that smells good. They all smell like rancid mop pail water.

[kilgore65]

12. winn dixie is HORRIBLE

I am in Misissippi - W/D is indeed prevalent in the South. The stores are incredibly bad - they look like something you might might have seen in pre-Solidarity Poland. Smells are bad, dirty floors etc. On two occasions, packed rice that I bought there turned out to be full of maggots. I've seen rats in the stores. And I RARELY visit one - only in a pinch. I much prefer our unionized Kroger that is spotless, priced well, and carries a nice array of items, including decent French bread (hard to find in these parts). No tears shed for the demise of Winn Dixie..

[solinvictus]

11. Winn Dixie...

To me, it's sad as I used to sincerely enjoy shopping at their stores. Over the past 5-6 years, though, their prices have increased while store quality and selections have gotten worse. I always liked Winn Dixie's "Chek" brand of soft drinks, especially their copy of Squirt/Fresca and the quality of their generic brands was indeed favorably comparable to national brands. I hope they can get it together as I hate to see Wally World's creeping monopoly.

[TwentyFive]

15. Screw them all. I shop at health & organic food stores.

My health is much better off because of less processed foods. Lowered my colesterol from 210 to 180.

[LifeDuringWartime]

17. too bad not everyone can afford to shop at those places

the big box grociers are here to stay. hannaford is the only choice in my town...drove the locally-owned IGA out of business.

[murray hill farm]

18. Soon WalMart will be the only place we can purchase food..

the only way we can boycott will be to grow our own...and not a bad idea.

[funkhowser]

19. Winn Dixie sux

My wife refuses to step foot into a Winn Dixie ... they're dirty, smell funky, are poorly lighted, and you usually encounter one barefoot white trash family, screaming and beating on their kids as they shop. The price at the register never matches the signage over a given item. I'm in West Central FL and when the first Super WalMart opened (in Pinellas Park, the highest revenue generating Wally Mart in North America ... the place is packed around the clock ... it's white trash mecca) all the other stores were frightened of the WalMart juggernaut. Publix put out signs in their veggie/fruit departments stating how long WalMart keeps out fruit and veggies for sale versus Publix (something like 10 days versus 3 days at Publix). The meat dept had signs regarding how much saline and coloring WalMart injects into their meat. Publix didn't lose any market share to WalMart, but the other grocers (Kash n Karry, Albertsons, and Winn Dixie) all did, Winn Dixie the most severely, something like 16% and their credit line has been cut back. Winn Dixie appeared to be on a roll a few years back ... they had chef's on staff and sold chef prepared specials for busy people, but they soon downsized that and put out pallets of crap where the chef, fresh melon bar, and florist were located. They offer an inferior product and people have responded accordingly. In some parts of rural Fl and in some inter-cities, Winn Dixie is the only game in town and they have a captive market in the rural people and city dwellers that don't drive.

[Retired AF Dem]

22. White trash

now what a progressive thing to say. Maybe they are just plain poor. Poor doesnt always mean trash. I know, hell we all know some rich people that are trash. (one of them is in the oval office)

[funkhowser]

23. I didn't say poor

... you drew the inference of poor ... I've always maintained that trash doesn't know color or social status. Sorry, one of the big complaints locally from many people when comparing supermarkets (ah, the things we discuss at work) is the intoxicated, barefoot, verbally abusive white trash that frequents Winn Dixie's ... the place is like a magnet, it attracts them. You don't see stumbling idiots in Publix, you don't see falling down drunks at Kash n Karry (and they're located between two Section 8 complexes, yet you don't see those "poor" shoppers berating their woman or smacking their kid upside the head), but go to any Winn Dixie and you're guaranteed a "show". Dirty, funky smelling stores attract the same.

[Melynn]

21. I hate Wal Mart

I don't know anything about Winn-Dixie, they don't have any stores in my area.

BTW, did I mention that I hate Wal Mart and their bully boy ways. Bullies get their way in the short term but nature hates force and sooner of later bullies get their comeuppance. I think that day is coming for the Bentonville Bully as they run over more and more people with their odious business practices.

[merwin]

25. That's too bad. Winn-Dixie was a good dog! Funny too n/t