***Photos for this post are courtesy of Kristin C.***
Winn-Dixie #678
9822 S. US Highway 301, Riverview, FL - River Bay Plaza
In light of the recent closure wave by Winn-Dixie's parent company Southeastern Grocers, AFB contributor Kristin C. has kindly sent in a few photos of one of the 24 (and counting) Winn-Dixie, BI-LO, and Harvey's stores being closed this summer. Our contributor Kristin frequented this store, and she was quite sad to see that it was one of the stores chosen to close. This Winn-Dixie in Riverview was the only Tampa Bay area casualty this round, and one of four Winn-Dixie stores in Florida that are currently set to close by the end of June 2017. To view the complete list of effected stores, please click here.
Just some quick background on this store before jumping into the rest of the photos: This Winn-Dixie opened in 1984 as a typical pre-Marketplace style Winn-Dixie. In 1995, this store received a major renovation in which the exterior and interior were practically rebuilt in order to transform this older location into a "modern" Marketplace format store. This store was hardly ever touched again after 1995, with the only major interior alteration since then being the replacement of the Marketplace-era aisle signs in favor of the Purple/Maroon decor ones from the early 2000's. In October 2016, this was one of five Tampa Bay area Winn-Dixie stores to lose its pharmacy, with the announcement of complete closure of the store coming shortly after in May 2017. This store's final day will be sometime in June 2017. With that out of the way, Kristin and I will take you on a short tour of this Winn-Dixie:
The outside of the store. You can also see the blue awning. From what I can tell, there is no store closing banner outside, but there are plenty of store closing signs taped to the front window.
The enter door.
The cheese shop and deli area. But wait, what do I see? THE 80'S MARKETPLACE DECOR! That's right, this store still has the old 80's decor laying around. The original variant of the Marketplace decor, which is the salmon/teal version seen in this store, was used from the debut of the Marketplace decor in 1986 through 1995 or so. Over those 9 years, Winn-Dixie did tone down the colors of the decor. The original version was a bit of a pastel overload, like something right out of Miami Vice. For the remainder of the Marketplace era, from approx. 1996-2000, the Marketplace decor color scheme was switched to the yellow/aqua variant.
The service counter to the meat department, also home to seafood.
A look down aisle 12. Aisle 12 looks to be relatively well stocked, although some patches are beginning to thin out. These photos were taken relatively early in the closing process of this store. All of the aisle markers in this store are the shrunken version of the typical Purple/Maroon aisle marker. This is a photo of the more typical size, taken in a store where these smaller ones would have been much more appropriate!
Lunch meat area. While the grocery aisles were still relatively full, the refrigerated goods were thinning out at a much faster pace.
Aisle 14, home to dairy.
The meat area.
A store closing sign telling shoppers to go to another store. The store at 6929 US Highway 301 (#2475) is a former Sweetbay located 1.8 miles to the north of this closing Winn-Dixie, which probably took much of the business from this location. The 179 Bloomingdale Avenue store (#676) is a little over 5 miles northeast of here, and is located in a former Family Mart/Florida Choice building.
The checkout area. This store has 6 checkouts. Also note the rather subtle store closing signage, unlike the signs used by some other retailers we know...
Customer service desk.
The two exit doors. So, I guess this serves as a good parting shot from this closing Winn-Dixie. Thank you Kristin for sending in these photos! I've been hearing that this recent closure round may just be the beginning of yet more closings to come later this year throughout Southeastern Grocers' brands. However, the only confirmed locations as of this post going live are the 24 locations listed here, but I guess we'll see as the year progresses.
But anyway, R.I.P Winn-Dixie #678.
Until the next post,
The Albertsons Florida Blogger
Hey, it has Dietz & Watson! That makes it more compatible than my dream scenario...Albertsons buys SEG, scales it down to just Winn-Dixie in the Southeast (and the good stores at that), reorganizes it into a single Southeastern Division, and begins slowly transforming the Winn-Dixie stores into Safeway.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for BI-LO, but all Winn-Dixies carry Dietz & Watson deli products. You're dream scenario would be the perfect situation for SEG.
DeleteI think the only thing that winn Dixie had going for it was the fuel perks program from shell. this program has ended in Florida and I think we will the beginning to the end of winn Dixie as we know it. They are running out reasons for people to visit their stores. The worse thing is that shell is running a full media blitz on the radio in Orlando saying the program is now over. Makes me wonder what happened between the two companies
ReplyDeleteWhen winn Dixie announced fuel perks were ending I thought it was a bad decision. Their stores aren't enough to support themselves without help.
I cant see Albertsons buying winn Dixie but I can see Walmart scooping up these stores
The fact that Plenti uses Exxon/Mobil as a partner is was caused the split from Shell. You're now supposed to use Plenti points at Exxon/Mobil as the new "fuelperks", or put them toward groceries. It's really just a more complicated version of the old program. I know they're hyping the new program, but I don't think the new program will do much for them. Someone will eventually jump in and buy up a chunk of SEG's stores, it's just a matter of time.
DeleteAisle 12, eh... I like this Kristin! :P
ReplyDeleteHad I known the Irmo, SC, Bi-Lo was closing, I may have visited it recently when I was in the area. As it is, I visited a non-closing Bi-Lo with also vintage décor...
I had a feeling you'd pick up on that when you saw it!
DeleteThe Irmo store was the last SEG closing announced this round, with the news only breaking on May 16th (if you were out that way prior to that, you wouldn't have known). That other BI-LO you visited recently sounds pretty interesting though!
I actually was out there that same week, literally the few days after that was announced. Oh well, haha! I'd actually completely forgotten about these closures altogether until I saw this post... And thanks! I'll have the pictures up eventually :)
DeleteThis isn't the 1986 Marketplace decor, that was closer to [url=http://pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com/2009/06/lifestyles-of-winn-dixie.html]this[/url] which is what my local Winn-Dixie (yes, I had one too) had before closing around 1996-1997 after only about a decade. The ads suggested as much, and in my faded memories I do tend to remember the more dramatic neon.
ReplyDeleteWhat you call "80s Marketplace" looks to be the second generation of it, possibly introduced at the time they were rolling out Food Pavilion in the early 1990s.
I always thought that neon look ended sometime during the late 80's. I used to live by a 1986 built W-D and it sure looked like the interior in these photos was the original interior from day 1, as they really went crazy with the salmon and aqua in that place, more so than what you see in these pictures. If that wasn't the original interior, then they did a very thorough remodel within 10 years of it opening. "80's Marketplace" is actually Kristin's term, not mine.
DeleteIt was opened 24 hours until 2005. That was my supermarket when I moved to Florida. Across the street was a U Save. Now south of it is 2 Publix and a Winn Dixie in a former Sweetbay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved to Riverview, it was the store I went to. I moved to Riverview near Big Bend and it was open 24 hours. When I moved here...it and USave were the supermarkets. In 2005 or 2006 (after Gibsonton Wal Mart opened) it stopped being 24 hours. Publix built a store at 301 and Big Bend in 2005/2006 and so did Sweetbay. Now there is another Publix just built halfway between Gibsonton Drive and Big Bend and the Sweetbay is a Winn Dixie and a Walmart Neighborhood Market at 301 and Big Bend.
ReplyDeleteThat decor would've had to have been from after '87/'88 anyway, as the font mainly used (Laser) wasn't designed until then.
ReplyDelete