After 10 months of uncertainty, it appears the Plant City distribution center owned by Sweetbay Supermarkets is close to having a new owner.
C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc., the Keene, N.H.-based company that provides procurement, warehouse and transportation services for Bi-Lo Holdings, currently has 29 jobs listed for the Plant City distribution center on its website. Furthermore, a distribution center employee, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, confirmed C&S held a job fair for the facility Feb. 21 and 22, in Lakeland, and also has been in the process of interviewing existing facility employees.
Bi-Lo Holdings, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, purchased 72 Sweetbay stores in a $265 million acquisition last year. That purchase did not include the distribution facility.
The jobs openings listed on C&S’ website include everything from building maintenance tech and auditor to supervisory and managerial roles.
Despite the job postings, Sweetbay spokesperson Nicole LeBeau said the sale of the facility is not yet final. As of press time March 5, the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser listed Food Lion Inc., the American division of the Sweetbay’s parent company Delhaize Group, as the owner of the facility, 1802 Jim Johnson Road.
“We are still in negotiations and finalizing details of the contract, but we have not formalized the sale of that location,” LeBeau said. “Much has happened in preparation for the final sale. We don’t have a closing date yet but expect (one) soon.”
City Manager Greg Horwedel said he was not aware of any sale.
“I don’t have any current information regarding a pending purchase of the Sweetbay facility,” he said. “Of course, we would be delighted if the facility were to be purchased and all the jobs retained at that location. A number of Plant City residents work there, and I am sure they would welcome good news about their jobs.”
C&S Wholesale Grocers declined to comment.
“C&S has no comment on the topic raised at this time,” said Senior Vice President of Compliance and Administration Bryan Granger.
The news of an impending sale comes four months after Sweetbay filed a layoff notice with state officials last November, intending to permanently close both its corporate office on Sugar Palm Drive in Tampa and the distribution center. Under Sweetbay, the distribution facility employed 183 workers in distribution and 75 in trucking.
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
NOW HIRING
To view the job listings, visit C&S Wholesale Grocers’ website, cswg.com, and select “Jobs.”
Bi-Lo Holdings to close 13 stores
Bi-Lo Holdings LLC announced Feb. 25, plans to close 13 of its stores, including eight it acquired from Delhaize America last year.
The closures do not include Plant City’s remaining Sweetbay location, 205 W. Alexander St.
“With the close proximity of some of the Bi-Lo Holdings and Delhaize stores, we … knew that we would have to close a few stores as part of the acquisition,” said R. Randall Onstead, president and CEO of Bi-Lo Holdings, in a press release. “We appreciate the many contributions our associates in these stores have made, and we will ensure they are treated respectfully and have the opportunity to pursue other open positions in nearby stores.”
The stores that will close include Sweetbay locations in Naples, Dade City and Zephyrhills; Harveys locations in Green Cove Springs and Tallahassee; Reid’s locations in Walterboro, S.C., Cayce, S.C., and Orangeburg, S.C.; Winn-Dixie locations in St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Seffner and Moultrie, Ga.; and the BI-LO in Aiken, S.C.
Kelly Bell, a spokeswoman for Winn-Dixie, said the company is in the process of converting the remaining Sweetbay locations, including the one in Plant City.
“Exact store schedules and timelines for conversions have not been released at this time, but we anticipate conversions will begin as early as March 22 and should be complete by May 31,” she said.