Sweetbay May Be Put Up For Sale

[janmcn]

According to today's newspaper, the Sweetbay supermarket chain may be put up for sale by the Belgian owner Delhaize Group. They have hired Lazard Ltd. to sell Sweetbay as well as Harvey's, another of its US supermarket businesses.



Report: Sweetbay grocery chain may be on the sales block | Tampa Bay Times (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/report-sweetbay-grocery-chain-may-be-on-the-sales-block/2122661)

[DianeM]

According to today's newspaper, the Sweetbay supermarket chain may be put up for sale by the Belgian owner Delhaize Group. They have hired Lazard Ltd. to sell Sweetbay as well as Harvey's, another of its US supermarket businesses.



Report: Sweetbay grocery chain may be on the sales block | Tampa Bay Times (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/report-sweetbay-grocery-chain-may-be-on-the-sales-block/2122661)

That's a shame and surprises me a bit since they are building a new Sweetbay near Gilchrist.

[missypie]

Harris Teeter in Charlotte is also up for sale. Everyone is looking....speculation...

[skyc6]

That's a shame and surprises me a bit since they are building a new Sweetbay near Gilchrist.

Just because a supermarket chain is for sale does not necessarily mean they are having problems or closing. Sometimes $$ needs to be free'd up or they are overextended. The markets here do very well.

[SusanOfWoodbury]

I love Sweet Bay, hopefully someone will buy it and keep the stores that are still open in operation...

[Lbmb24101]

We will give Sweetbaymore business It certainly is convenient that they stay open till 11pm, vs the Publix in Colony which shuts down at 9pm...

[gpirate]

According to today's newspaper, the Sweetbay supermarket chain may be put up for sale by the Belgian owner Delhaize Group. They have hired Lazard Ltd. to sell Sweetbay as well as Harvey's, another of its US supermarket businesses.



Report: Sweetbay grocery chain may be on the sales block | Tampa Bay Times (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/report-sweetbay-grocery-chain-may-be-on-the-sales-block/2122661)

Maybe Kroger will bid for them. Always enjoy Kroger stores.

[asianthree]

fresh market would be nice in the lower 466

[Villager Dude]

SB may sell their option to build south of 466A . Seems to me taking on more Liabilities when you are in a sale mode does not make sense.

Wouldn't a Wegman's be nice here. The Northerner's know what I am talking about.

Cheers !

[Pegamyheart]

My vote goes to Trader Joes 10 times over! It such a drag to drive all the way to Gainsville for the stuff I really want, and the prices are so reasonable. Boy that would be great!

[ilovetv]

SweetBay is smart to stay open longer than 9pm when Publix closes (as if we're all tucked into bed at the nursing home by then).

[Schaumburger]

SweetBay is smart to stay open longer than 9pm when Publix closes (as if we're all tucked into bed at the nursing home by then).

When I have rented in TV, the Sweet Bay at LSL has been my "go to" place for groceries after 9:00 p.m., although the Winn Dixie on 441/27 is open until 10:00 p.m which has been helpful during my current rental in Del Mar.

[jimmemac]

Put a wegmans in here and imagine the mad house-they would put such a hurting on Publix that it wouldn't be funny-but oh how crowded it would be=would make Publix look like a walk in the park.

[leroyR]

:coolsmiley:SB may sell their option to build south of 466A . Seems to me taking on more Liabilities when you are in a sale mode does not make sense.

Wouldn't a Wegman's be nice here. The Northerner's know what I am talking about.

Cheers !

:coolsmiley:

[2newyorkers]

Another vote for Wegmans.

[Mack184]

Wouldn't a Wegman's be nice here. The Northerner's know what I am talking about.

Cheers !
Yes. We do. However..A Wegman's or multiple Wegman's is probably unlikely. At this point they are only into northern Virginia. They would have to extend their warehouse supply lines significantly to service Florida. But yes..I definitely vote for Wegman's!

[Bavarian]

The Sweetbay chain is up for sale, not individual stores. Maybe Giant of Acme will buy them. I don't think Superfresh is in a position to buy, they had many nice stores in the County and right after building a new one, they pulled out and the stores were epty for quite awhile.

[Mack184]

The Sweetbay chain is up for sale, not individual stores. Maybe Giant of Acme will buy them. I don't think Superfresh is in a position to buy, they had many nice stores in the County and right after building a new one, they pulled out and the stores were epty for quite awhile.
I think that SuperFresh filed Chapter 11. When we were in Baltimore they closed a whole bunch of stores in and around the city. They are still in operation, but I believe that they have pulled back a great deal. If you're thinking of the Giant stores in Maryland..I hope that they NEVER come this way. Awful high priced stores, and their parent company was rated one of the very worst grocery store chains in the USA by Forbes. Acme's parent Penn-Traffic is also not in any financial condition to majorly expand.

Regarding Sweetbay. I very much like their stores but shop at their store in Belleview. It's much quieter..and...like everything else, the prices are lower once you leave the TV bubble.

[Quixote]

Wouldn't a Wegman's be nice here. The Northerner's know what I am talking about.

My vote goes to Trader Joes 10 times over!

Wouldn't having both Wegman's AND Trader Joe's here give us the absolute best of both worlds?!?!?!

[coconutmama]

:agree:My vote goes to Trader Joes 10 times over! It such a drag to drive all the way to Gainsville for the stuff I really want, and the prices are so reasonable. Boy that would be great!

[Mack184]

Even if Sweetbay was sold right this minute it would be a long time before we were to see any changes. Since it's parent company is located outside the USA the sale would have to be cleared by at least two cabinet departments, and if the buyer was another multi-national company based outside of the USA it would take even longer.

[senior citizen]

When I have rented in TV, the Sweet Bay at LSL has been my "go to" place for groceries after 9:00 p.m., although the Winn Dixie on 441/27 is open until 10:00 p.m which has been helpful during my current rental in Del Mar.


Ditto here. We really liked TV's Sweetbay......

However, what confuses me is that we were told by the people at the Lake Sumter Landing "Sweetbay" that it was owned by HANNAFORD SUPERMARKETS out of Maine. We have Hannaford in Vermont and Maine.

Is it possible that the Sweetbay mentioned in the newspaper article is simply another store with the same name?

Nope, it's all connected...........as per Wikipedia article....






Sweetbay Supermarket

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Sweetbay Supermarkethttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e3/Sweetbay_Supermarkets_Logo.svg/220px-Sweetbay_Supermarkets_Logo.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sweetbay_Supermarkets_Logo.svg)Type (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_business_entity)Subsidiary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiary) of Delhaize Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhaize_Group)IndustryRetail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail)Founded1947 (as Big Barn)HeadquartersTampa, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa,_Florida), U.S. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States)Number of locations72 (2013)[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-1)Key peopleBrad Wise (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brad_Wise&action=edit&redlink=1), PresidentProductsGrocery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grocery)Employees9,000Websitesweetbaysupermarket.c om (http://www.sweetbaysupermarket.com/)
Sweetbay Supermarket is a chain of American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) supermarkets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket) located entirely in Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida). The first Sweetbay Supermarket to open was in Seminole, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole,_Florida), in November 2004. The company is headquartered near Tampa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa,_Florida), in unincorporated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_area) Hillsborough County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_County,_Florida), Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida),[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-2) in the Tampa Bay Area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Area), and is a part of the Belgian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium) Delhaize Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhaize_Group).
Contents


[hide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#)]

1 Kash n' Karry history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#Kash_n.27_Karry_history)
2 Sweetbay history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#Sweetbay_history)
3 Relationship to Hannaford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#Relationship_to_Hannaford)
4 References (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#References)
5 External links (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#External_links)
Kash n' Karry history [edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweetbay_Supermarket&action=edit&section=1)]

Not to be confused with Cash & Carry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_%26_Carry).
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/KashNKarry_Bradenton.jpg/220px-KashNKarry_Bradenton.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KashNKarry_Bradenton.jpg)http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.22wmf4/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KashNKarry_Bradenton.jpg)
Kash n' Karry store 1881 in Bradenton, FL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradenton,_FL) (closed).


Salvatore Greco, an Italian immigrant, sold fruits and vegetables in the streets of Tampa beginning in 1914. In 1922, he and his wife Giuseppina opened a storefront at their home. The Greco family built a proper store in 1947 under the name Big Barn in Plant City, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_City,_Florida). The business expanded and they had opened nine stores by 1960 with the name of Tampa Wholesale. In 1962, the name changed again to Kash n' Karry, based on the cash and carry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_and_carry_(wholesale)) program of World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II). People would bring in their "cash" and "carry" out their own groceries. They left out nonessential parts of supermarkets like contests, customer service representatives, and samples.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-3)
Kash n' Karry was acquired by Lucky Stores (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Stores) of California in 1979.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-history-4) After American Stores (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Stores) acquired Lucky in 1988, it sold Kash n' Karry to leveraged buyout firm Gibbons, Green, and van Amerongen (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gibbons,_Green,_and_van_Amerongen&action=edit&redlink=1).[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-5) As the buyout was being completed, Kash n' Karry bought 24 Florida Choice supermarkets from Kroger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroger), who was closing the chain.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-6) On the dissolution of Gibbons, Green, Leonard Green & Partners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Green_%26_Partners) became the controlling stockholder.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-history-4) Kash n' Karry filed for bankruptcy in 1994.[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-7)
Kash n' Karry held an IPO in 1995. In December 1996, Kash n' Karry became a wholly owned subsidiary of Food Lion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Lion).[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-history-4) In July 2000, after Food Lion's acquisition of Hannaford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannaford_Bros._Co.), the holding company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holding_company) Delhaize America, Inc., was created. As a result, Kash n' Karry became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delhaize America.
In 2002, Kash n' Karry pulled out of the competitive Orlando (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando,_Florida) market with only one store remaining in Clermont, Florida, which as of 2013, has since closed . Two of three stores were closed in Gainesville, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainesville,_Florida).
On Wednesday, August 29, 2007, news reports said that the last Kash n' Karry store in Crystal River, Florida, closed, marking the end of the Kash n' Karry brand and the full conversion to Sweetbay Supermarket.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-8)
Sweetbay history [edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweetbay_Supermarket&action=edit&section=2)]

In January 2004, after years of slumping sales growth, Kash n' Karry announced the creation and roll out of a new supermarket concept called Sweetbay Supermarket in its core markets on the West Coast of Florida. By September 2007, all Kash n' Karry stores were redesigned as Sweetbay Supermarkets. The first of the new Sweetbay Supermarkets opened in Seminole, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole,_Florida), on November 6, 2004, and in Fort Myers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Myers,_Florida) in December 2004.
In 2008, Sweetbay became the official supermarket of the Tampa Bay Rays (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Rays) baseball club.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-9)
In January 2013, Sweetbay announced that 33 stores would close, leaving the chain with 72 stores. The closings were attributed to competition from regional grocery chain Publix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publix) and national chain Walmart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart).[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-10)
In May 2013, Reuters reported that Delhaize had engaged Lazard to explore the possible sale of Sweetbay and sister supermarket chain Harveys.[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-11)
Relationship to Hannaford [edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweetbay_Supermarket&action=edit&section=3)]

In 2002, management and supply chain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain) at Kash n' Karry was transferred to sister chain Hannaford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannaford_Bros._Co.) in hopes of repairing Kash n' Karry's performance, which ultimately led to the creation of Sweetbay.[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-12) When Sweetbay was created, it was modeled after Hannaford, incorporating store design, logo/branding elements, and pricing strategy from its northeastern sister company.[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-13) Additionally, Sweetbay stocked Hannaford-branded products as its generic store brand until 2011, when all Delhaize America stores began offering the Healthy Accents brand (for health & beauty items), the Home 360 brand (for home products) and the My Essentials brand (for food products).[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbay_Supermarket#cite_note-14)
On March 17, 2008, Hannaford Supermarkets announced a data intrusion that resulted in the theft of customer credit and debit card numbers. No personal information, such as names or addresses, was accessed. The intrusion affected Hannaford stores, Sweetbay stores in Florida and certain independently owned retail locations in the Northeast that carry Hannaford products.

[Janet & Carl]

SB may sell their option to build south of 466A . Seems to me taking on more Liabilities when you are in a sale mode does not make sense.

Wouldn't a Wegman's be nice here. The Northerner's know what I am talking about.

Cheers !

:agree:
Janet

[mickey100]

OMG, to have a Wegman's here - we can only hope. But I don't imagine their expansion plans stretch down to Florida yet.

[ladila2]

Just went to Wegman's the other day, after arriving back in NY Finger Lakes area. I'm still smiling!

[princesspat]

Wegmans would be amazing, but don't think they go south of Penn.

[NANCY58]

Love, love, love wegmans!!!!!

[Villages PL]

Trader Joe will never locate in The Villages because it's a discount store. I'm not familiar with Wegmans but if I haven't heard of it, it's not likely either. If anything, it's more likely to be publix and I don't care because I already live near a Publix. :)

[jblum315]

You are mistaken. Trader Joe's is not a discount store. Trader Joe's sells their own line of products. Some are similar to commercial products and may be priced higher or lower than their counterparts. Many items are unique to Trader Joe's and cannot be compared for price.

[janmcn]

Wegmans is owned by the Wegman family of Rochester, NY. From the attached link, the furthest south they are planning a new store is Charlottesville, VA.

All those Wegman fans could write to the family requesting a store in The Villages. They have probably never heard of TV, and who knows...they might be sitting around thinking boy we'd really like to open a store in Florida. Stranger things have happened. After all, WaWa is opening 100 stores in Florida in the next few years.


FAQs Detail | Wegmans - About Wegmans (http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FAQDetailView?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&faqCategory=AboutWegmans#question_12)

[John_W]

Wegman's moved into Maryland about 2005 with a store in Hunt Valley, just north of Baltimore. That store was huge, actually two story with dining areas upstairs. In 2011 they built one in Abingdon, Maryland and I lived across the street. Just like watching a house being built in TV, I watched that Wegman store go from groundbreaking to almost finished.

This is how strange things can happen. After returning from our lifestyle visit in April 2011, we listed our home for sale. The manager for the new Wegman store flew in for two days to go house hunting. The first person to view our home, was the Wegman manager and she bought our home. We sold our home in one day.

BTW, the manager of that Wegman store knew where TV was when I told her we were moving here, she had relatives in TV. The store is located in Abingdon, MD about 1/2 off I-95 but they use Bel Air since that has 100,000 people and it is only 5 miles away.

Wegmans Bel Air (http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreDetailView?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=718489)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2011-08/64076193.jpg

[jimmemac]

That would be a picture of my Wegmans-love it~!!!!!!!!

[John_W]

That would be a picture of my Wegmans-love it~!!!!!!!!

I see you're from Havre de Grace, I haven't been in the new Wegmans because we left before it opened and haven't been back since. However, we are returning the end of August for a week, I can imagine Abingdon has really changed. The new overpass from I-95 onto Route 24 and they opened a JC Penny next to the Wegmans. That area was my neighborhood, that's one reason we left. Over 100,000 cars a day pass through that area. When I get back I'm hoping to play Wetlands and Geneva Farms, I won't have time to play Furnace Bay, but that was a nice little course.


/

[bimmertl]

Grocery wars: Tampa's Sweetbay sold to Winn-Dixie parent | Tampa Bay Times (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/tampa-based-sweetbay-supermarkets-sold/2123492)

[janmcn]

Good news for The Villages that Winn Dixie will proceed with the new grocery store in Pinellas, according to today's Daily Sun. Now Villagers don't have to travel all the way to Wildwood to shop at Winn Dixie.

[Sunshine Mary]

That good I like Winn Dixie

[jimmemac]

I see you're from Havre de Grace, I haven't been in the new Wegmans because we left before it opened and haven't been back since. However, we are returning the end of August for a week, I can imagine Abingdon has really changed. The new overpass from I-95 onto Route 24 and they opened a JC Penny next to the Wegmans. That area was my neighborhood, that's one reason we left. Over 100,000 cars a day pass through that area. When I get back I'm hoping to play Wetlands and Geneva Farms, I won't have time to play Furnace Bay, but that was a nice little course.


/

If you didn't like the traffic situation before I warn you it is worse now in my opinion-the whole overpass thing from Wegmans towards Edgewood can only be described as an accident waiting to happen for everyone driving no matter what direction or where you are going-the engineer ought to be fired who came up with that idea. Sort of makes the traffic circles here a piece of cake comparatively.

[doran]

Sweetbay was sold to WinnDixie--per quote in local paper today--Trader Joes would also be my number one pick--but they will not pay all of the extra monies that the owner of the Villages wants-- IF they open up here it will be close to the Villages not in the Villages-- We are from California and Trader Joes was are favorite market--Hope to see them open close to the Villages sooooooooooon!

[pappy1]

I had never been a WinnDixie fan until I went into a store they completely renovated in Ft. Luaderdale off Highway 595.
They did an amazing job...huge store..lots of delicious prepared foods with good pricing...grocery selections were extensive....bakery was awesome.
Time will tell, Publix is a tough competitor.

[Villages PL]

I had never been a WinnDixie fan until I went into a store they completely renovated in Ft. Luaderdale off Highway 595.
They did an amazing job...huge store..lots of delicious prepared foods with good pricing...grocery selections were extensive....bakery was awesome.
Time will tell, Publix is a tough competitor.

Good pricing? Maybe in Ft. Lauderdale but here in The Villages they are on par with Publix. Both have high prices except for sale items. Someone has to pay for the extensive renovations and it will be the customers. (Big surprise.)

[Villages PL]

You are mistaken. Trader Joe's is not a discount store. Trader Joe's sells their own line of products. Some are similar to commercial products and may be priced higher or lower than their counterparts. Many items are unique to Trader Joe's and cannot be compared for price.

Last time we talked about it, on another thread, someone said it was similar to Aldi's. So I got the impression the pricing would be reasonable like Aldi's. Based on that, I figure they will have to locate outside of TV to maintain their overall cost structure.

[Challenger]

Good pricing? Maybe in Ft. Lauderdale but here in The Villages they are on par with Publix. Both have high prices except for sale items. Someone has to pay for the extensive renovations and it will be the customers. (Big surprise.)

Customers always ultimately pay for all costs in the final analysis (including taxes paid buy the business) There is really no other way .:shrug:

[Villages PL]

Customers always ultimately pay for all costs in the final analysis (including taxes paid buy the business) There is really no other way .:shrug:

Of course customers always pay all costs. It's no surprise to me but I mentioned it because people always say how wonderful Winn Dixie looks with the renovation, as if it's a free gift to their customers. I don't care what the store looks like. I'd rather have the old worn-out look and get a better deal on fruits and vegetables. The new flooring in the produce dept. is beautiful but I can't take it home and eat it. :laugh:

[gocubsgo]

Of course customers always pay all costs. It's no surprise to me but I mentioned it because people always say how wonderful Winn Dixie looks with the renovation, as if it's a free gift to their customers. I don't care what the store looks like. I'd rather have the old worn-out look and get a better deal on fruits and vegetables. The new flooring in the produce dept. is beautiful but I can't take it home and eat it. :laugh:

Very well said!! Anytime you go into a store and the sign by the door says "Excuse our dust", get out your checkbook!!

[Shimpy]

I quit going to Winn Dixie because their specials are only for those that carry a Winn Dixie card around with them. Why can't all their customers get the same price? I found in S. Florida that much of their can goods were expired. Maybe it was just that certain store but I haven't been back since going to the store in Wildwood in response to chicken breasts on sale and only to find I needed their stupid card.

[Tweety Bird]

Harris Teeter in Charlotte is also up for sale. Everyone is looking....speculation...

Ohhhhhhhh....really?

[jblum315]

According to today's newspaper, the Sweetbay supermarket chain may be put up for sale by the Belgian owner Delhaize Group. They have hired Lazard Ltd. to sell Sweetbay as well as Harvey's, another of its US supermarket businesses.



Report: Sweetbay grocery chain may be on the sales block | Tampa Bay Times (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/report-sweetbay-grocery-chain-may-be-on-the-sales-block/2122661)

Three days later, it's official. The Daily Sun says Sweetbay will become Winn Dixie, including the one being built at Pinellas Place.

[perrjojo]

Of course customers always pay all costs. It's no surprise to me but I mentioned it because people always say how wonderful Winn Dixie looks with the renovation, as if it's a free gift to their customers. I don't care what the store looks like. I'd rather have the old worn-out look and get a better deal on fruits and vegetables. The new flooring in the produce dept. is beautiful but I can't take it home and eat it. :laugh:

Personally I like to shop in a clean, modern environment. It may cost a few pennies more but I would feel more confident in my food coming from a pristine enviorment.

[Villages PL]

Personally I like to shop in a clean, modern environment. It may cost a few pennies more but I would feel more confident in my food coming from a pristine enviorment.

Aldi's had four beautiful ears of corn for a dollar and they were on a tray with cellophane over the top. But, not to worry, the store is reasonably clean. Every time I go there on saturday I see them going over the floors with a special machine. Bananas are usually .44 cents a pound and .35 cents on sale. About a month ago I got a 5 lb. bag of potatoes for a dollar. They seemed to be reasonably clean but of course it's a good idea to wash them anyway. There are many bargains, to numerous to mention, and I don't feel woried that it's not clean enough.

At one time or another everyone has been to a farmers market like Market of Marion. It's not a "pristine environment". But, heck, you have to wash the vegetables whether they come from Winn Dixie, Aldi's or a farmers market.

And Winn Dixie is not just a few pennies more in my estimation, unless you're buying just the sale items. For people who are not "price sensitive" it's undoubtedly a great place to shop. But for me, old habits die hard. I still remember the old days when I didn't have much money. I look for value, it's in my bones. ;)

[pooh]

If I read correctly, Sweetbay will stay Sweetbay. The stores were bought by Bi-Lo and at the closure it was stated that each grocery chain they purchased would still exist. Now, that's what is happening as of this date....time will tell us for sure if that will change.

[skyguy79]

If I read correctly, Sweetbay will stay Sweetbay. The stores were bought by Bi-Lo and at the closure it was stated that each grocery chain they purchased would still exist. Now, that's what is happening as of this date....time will tell us for sure if that will change.That's the way I read it too. Again, if I read it correctly, the article simply states that Sweetbay and Winn-Dixie are now under common ownership and that both the LSL and Pinellas Plaza locations will both carry the Sweetbay name.

[justjim]

I quit going to Winn Dixie because their specials are only for those that carry a Winn Dixie card around with them. Why can't all their customers get the same price? I found in S. Florida that much of their can goods were expired. Maybe it was just that certain store but I haven't been back since going to the store in Wildwood in response to chicken breasts on sale and only to find I needed their stupid card.

Oh yeah---the cards. CVS, Walgreen, Winn Dixie and other stores with their so called rewards cards. Remember S & H Green Stamps? I guess the only good thing about some of them is they are free but they are a nuisance. Maybe under new management Winn Dixie/Sweetbay will do away with those nuisance cards. Just give us the best price without the nuisance of a card.

[asianthree]

Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joes

[Villages PL]

If I read correctly, Sweetbay will stay Sweetbay. The stores were bought by Bi-Lo and at the closure it was stated that each grocery chain they purchased would still exist. Now, that's what is happening as of this date....time will tell us for sure if that will change.

Yes, I think you got it right, it will still be Sweetbay. The employees will be the same, stock on the shelves and pricing will likely be the same too.

[Villages PL]

Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joes

Thanks, I keep forgetting that. I guess that means Trader Joes will not locate anywhere near Aldi's on 441. Otherwise, they would end up competing with themselves. And there's another Aldi's on 441 in Leesburg, so they wouldn't go in that direction. So the problem is where to locate without being inside TV. How about hwy. 301, a little south of 466?

[LndLocked]

I never understood the Sweetbay biz model. To me it was part discount (leftover from it's Kash & Karry past) and part Publix wannabe. They could not decide what they wanted to be and the result was failure.

The LSL location is a rare profitable anomaly.

[drdodge]

according to the Daily Sun it was in yesrterdays paper that it has been sold It was bought by winn dixie or the company that owns them
drd

[firebiker]

The article I read said Bi-Lo bought Winn-Dixie last year and just recently purchased Sweet Bay.

[asianthree]

Thanks, I keep forgetting that. I guess that means Trader Joes will not locate anywhere near Aldi's on 441. Otherwise, they would end up competing with themselves. And there's another Aldi's on 441 in Leesburg, so they wouldn't go in that direction. So the problem is where to locate without being inside TV. How about hwy. 301, a little south of 466?

Our trader joes and aldi is few miles away from each other...sooooo maybe not

[Bavarian]

Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joes

That is more like it. Aldi is a big German Chain. Ones in Germany are arranged nicer than in Germany, but US ones do not an Euro, Quarter, or a decorative piece of a keychain to be inserted to get the carts.

[Bavarian]

Per WIKIPEDIA
Acquisition of Delhaize banners [edit]

On May 28, 2013 it was announced that BI-LO was acquiring the Harveys, sweetbay and Reid's banners from Delhaize Group for USD$265 million. All stores are expected to remain open. 10,000 employees were acquired as well.

[SALYBOW]

My vote goes to Trader Joes 10 times over! It such a drag to drive all the way to Gainsville for the stuff I really want, and the prices are so reasonable. Boy that would be great!

I just returned from Cincinnati yesterday will a few bags full of Traders Joe's non perishable goodies. I told them we need them in TV. If you go to their website there is a place to indicate where you think a store should be built. Vote early and often!

[Mack184]

Wegman's moved into Maryland about 2005 with a store in Hunt Valley, just north of Baltimore. That store was huge, actually two story with dining areas upstairs. In 2011 they built one in Abingdon, Maryland and I lived across the street. Just like watching a house being built in TV, I watched that Wegman store go from groundbreaking to almost finished.

This is how strange things can happen. After returning from our lifestyle visit in April 2011, we listed our home for sale. The manager for the new Wegman store flew in for two days to go house hunting. The first person to view our home, was the Wegman manager and she bought our home. We sold our home in one day.

BTW, the manager of that Wegman store knew where TV was when I told her we were moving here, she had relatives in TV. The store is located in Abingdon, MD about 1/2 off I-95 but they use Bel Air since that has 100,000 people and it is only 5 miles away.

Wegmans Bel Air (http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreDetailView?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=718489)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2011-08/64076193.jpg
We shopped at the Hunt Valley store almost weekly for 4 years. We miss it mightily. When Wegman's built their store in Johnson City NY (near Binghamton) back in the 80's it was at the time, the largest grocery store in the US. The one in Hunt Valley is the size of a 747 hanger and makes the JC store look like a Circle-K! God I miss Wegman's!!

[Mack184]

Wegmans would be amazing, but don't think they go south of Penn.
Yeah..they do. See my earlier post. They are currently in northern Virginia in the DC area.

[SusanOfWoodbury]

I read an article in the Ocala newspaper this week, that SweetBay has been bought by the parent company that owns Win Dixie....

[DougB]

:shrug:...

[JP]

I'm not a big fan of Sweet Bay. Maybe the new owners will make the store better.

[janmcn]

It's interesting that Delhaize did not include the Sweetbay distribution center in Plant City in the sale of the stores to Bi-Lo. Buying this distribution center would set up the perfect opportunity for Wegmans to get into the Florida market.

According to Wegmans website, they have many new stores under construction. The most southerly city is Charlottesville, VA.



http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/villages/article_c8d20432-c813-11e2-9b26-0019bb2963f4.html

[LndLocked]

It's interesting that Delhaize did not include the Sweetbay distribution center in Plant City in the sale of the stores to Bi-Lo. Buying this distribution center would set up the perfect opportunity for Wegmans to get into the Florida market.

According to Wegmans website, they have many new stores under construction. The most southerly city is Charlottesville, VA.



Winn-Dixie parent buys Villages (http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/villages/article_c8d20432-c813-11e2-9b26-0019bb2963f4.html)

I would assume that it was more of Bi-Lo not needing or wanting that distribution center due to the current Winn Dixie ones.