The Winn-Dixie on Highway 90 in Luling will close in mid-January, and a new ALDI store will replace it, according to Meredith Hurley, a spokesperson for Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie.
Hurley said in an email the company gave advance notice to Winn-Dixie employees of the store’s closing. The company also offered employees the choice to either apply for new jobs at the ALDI store or to transfer to a neighboring Winn-Dixie store. Winn-Dixie has locations in Destrehan, LaPlace, River Ridge and Metairie.
“We will continue to work diligently to deliver an excellent shopping experience with minimal disruptions for our associates, customers and communities,” Hurley said in a statement. “As we work through this transition period, conversion plans are still being finalized.”
ALDI purchased nearly 400 Winn-Dixie stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi from Southeastern Grocers earlier this year, according to a press release. ALDI plans to rebrand some of them as ALDI stores and to run others under the Winn-Dixie banner. Winn-Dixie stores in Zachary, Metairie, Prairieville and Amite have closed or will close this year, according to The Advocate.
ALDI has stores throughout Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Houma, LaPlace, and Metairie. Unlike Winn-Dixie shoppers, ALDI shoppers pay a 25-cent deposit to use a shopping cart.
“This 25-cent deposit ultimately saves our customers money because we don’t have to hire extra staff to collect grocery carts,” the company says on its website.
ALDI shoppers must purchase reusable ALDI shopping bags at check-out or bring their own reusable bags, according to the store’s website.
“This saves money by avoiding the cost of the bag and it cuts down on waste to help the environment,” the company says on its website.
Over 90 percent of the products at ALDI stores are ALDI exclusive brands. According to the store’s website, this allows the company to offer lower prices without the hidden costs of national brands, such as marking and advertising.
The Winn-Dixie store on Highway 90 first opened in 1999. Winn-Dixie ran a grocery on Paul Maillard Road from the late 1960s to 1999.
