C&S Wholesale Grocers Claims Majority Ownership Over Winn-Dixie
C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC has revealed its intent to be the majority owner of The Winn-Dixie Co. In 2025, C&S, as part of a consortium of private investors, acquired Winn-Dixie from Aldi U.S. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027.
Jan. 21, 2026, marked the first day that Southeastern Grocers officially became The Winn-Dixie Co., uniting the organization and its stores under the iconic banner.
"The collective insights gathered during our C&S-SpartanNash integration have enabled us to further enhance our support of customers — in all formats — across the United States. Our combination has already strengthened the skills and capabilities we need to win in the marketplace while clearly demonstrating that our continued growth has been greatly enhanced with our transformative M&A," said Eric Winn, CEO of C&S.
Anthony Hucker, CEO of Winn-Dixie, will continue with the company as a special adviser over the coming months. Until the transaction closes, Southeastern Grocers veteran and current Chief Financial Officer Raymond Rhee will be Winn-Dixie CEO. Additionally, Winn-Dixie will continue to have an office presence in Jacksonville, Fla. The well-known grocer has been based in Florida for more than a century.
"To continue to grow in the industry — not only today, but well into the future — there is even more opportunity within our retail footprint, especially in the Southeast," Winn added. "I want to thank Anthony Hucker for his leadership as we continue the strong legacy of C&S and Winn-Dixie for many generations to come."
"Winn-Dixie has always been more than a business to me — it is home. This proposed next step with C&S is a natural evolution of a partnership built on trust, shared purpose and a deep belief in what the hometown grocer still means to the communities we serve. As my role evolves, my commitment to Winn-Dixie only grows stronger, and I have full confidence in Raymond and this leadership team, as they are deeply experienced and fully committed to the future we are building," Hucker said.
This combination will ensure that Winn-Dixie's strategic growth plans thrive by providing long-term solutions to structural costs and supply chain capabilities.
Winn-Dixie’s strategic growth plan includes:
- Refreshing the Winn-Dixie brand and customer experience
- Opening new stores and continuing its growth momentum
- Refreshing stores and upgrading experiences
- Offering more own brands
"Our industry is rapidly evolving, and this is another important advancement in our ability to support hometown grocers. I look forward to welcoming Winn-Dixie team members into the C&S family. As partners for more than 20 years, this will be a seamless integration that will enable us to leverage efficiencies and economies of scale to drive growth for our team members, customers, shoppers and communities to build on our legacy of braggingly happy customers," Winn added.
The C&S family of companies – encompassing Grocers Supply, Hansen Distribution Group, FreshKo Produce Services, The Davidson Specialty Food Group and SpartanNash – delivers supply chain solutions, products and services to chain, independent and military customers from 60 distribution centers nationwide. The Keene, N.H.-based company also operates more than 200 corporate-run grocery stores primarily under the D&W Fresh Market, Grand Union, Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and Piggly Wiggly banners.
This article was originally published on P2PI sibling brand Progressive Grocer.
