Food Lion has agreed to buy five Winn-Dixie stores in southern Georgia. It plans to reopen them in mid-December, subject to closing requirements.

The deal would bring Food Lion’s Georgia network to 51 stores. About 375 jobs are planned across the five locations.

Food Lion first announced the agreement on 6 November. Parent company Ahold Delhaize published the news on 9 November.

The stores are in Brunswick, Folkston, Lake Park, St. Simons Island and Valdosta. Their addresses are 5420 Jesup Highway; 3606 Second Street; 1060 Lakes Boulevard; 220 Retreat Village; and 3200 North Ashley Street, respectively.

They will keep trading as Winn-Dixie until the sale closes. Conversion work will then prepare them for Food Lion’s opening. Exact reopening dates remain unannounced.

Shoppers will have access to pickup and home delivery through Food Lion To Go. The planned range includes produce, meat, prepared meals and everyday groceries.

The transaction would lift Food Lion’s 2026 opening programme to 15 stores. Its original target was 10. These five additions are conversions of existing supermarkets.

Winn-Dixie is selling its remaining southern Georgia locations as it concentrates on Florida. The move transfers an established local store network to a different operator.

The agreement follows Food Lion’s $270 million investment in North Carolina stores. That programme improved existing supermarkets. The Georgia acquisition extends its reach.

For grocery suppliers, the next milestone is completion. A change of operator can affect product listings and delivery arrangements. Food Lion has not set out how these stores’ existing supply agreements will be handled.

The five-store deal does not establish a new supplier contract or guarantee space for local products. Producers should confirm buying contacts and distribution requirements before planning deliveries.

Food Lion belongs to Ahold Delhaize. The wider group participates in European purchasing alliances, while this transaction concerns its US supermarket operation.

Food Lion will announce further opening details as the conversion programme progresses. Closing the sale comes before the December relaunch.

Editor’s Note: Based on Food Lion’s 6 November announcement, Ahold Delhaize’s 9 November publication and independent trade and local reporting. The acquisition is agreed, rather than completed.