Aldi to Acquire Winn-Dixie and Harvey's

[bjl584]

Aldi to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores (cnbc.com)

[myrdale]

Wow.

I wonder if they will keep the names or if they will switch them all over to Aldi? All the Aldi's I've seen were tiny stores, like the size of Dollar Generals. And I didn't think they sold named brand either, just store brand. I am curious how people will react when they can no longer buy CocaCola and Doritos?

[disneysteve]

It’s an interesting move. Aldi is a small discount chain. Wynn Dixie is a regular size full service chain. I guess Aldi wants to get their foot into the mainstream market. Seems to go against their business model.

[disneysteve]

And I didn't think they sold named brand either, just store brand. I am curious how people will react when they can no longer buy CocaCola and Doritos?

Aldi does sell some brand name items but they’re heavy on private label. You can buy Coke there actually but I think you can only get their version of Doritos.

[kork13]

Wynn Dixie is a staple in the south, I'd be surprised if the acquisition by Aldi leads to many significant changes (though I've never heard of Harvey's). I expect that it's more likely just as DS said -- Aldi trying to build its marketshare & access to the mainstream market. Acquisitions like this will become more & more common as Fed policy continues to tighten the money supply. Grocery stores in particular run on razor-thin margins, so as financing options become more expensive, it's probably tougher for low-margin companies to stay afloat ... so they become easy targets for takeover by competitors with a healthy war-chest & looking to expand.

Personally, I like shopping at Aldi's, where it's available -- simple, inexpensive, but decent options.