BI-LO Leaves Waynesville Market, Shutters Underperforming Store
WAYNESVILLE, NC - Waynesville, North Carolina, is saying BI to BI-LO after the retailer’s corporate office deemed the location an “underperforming store.” According to a report by The Mountaineer, the closure, which is slated for the last week of February, comes on the cusp of a grand opening for rival grocer Publix.
“We realize a closure of an underperforming store in a community can be difficult. It is really the last decision we want to make,” said Joe Caldwell, Southeastern Grocer’s Corporate Communications Manager. “In this case, there wasn’t a viable alternative and unfortunately we have to move forward with our plans to close the store.”
The news source reveals that the location’s 58 employees have been “operating in a climate of uncertainty for months” after BI-LO’s parent company Southeastern Grocers filed for reorganization bankruptcy last year. As a result, some of BI-LO’s employees have jumped ship and joined Publix, which recently began hiring for 200 jobs at its Waynesville location.
Following the announcement of its store closure, BI-LO also begun liquidating its inventory and marking-down its products.
As part of its chapter 11 filing early last year, Southeastern Grocers announced it would be closing over 94 stores, a count that included Winn-Dixie and BI-LO stores amongst others.
Is this one store closure an isolated incident or is Southeastern Grocers and its collection of banners still struggling post-Chapter 11? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you posted on the latest retail happenings.
