102-year-old supermarket brand Harveys quietly closed all stores
Grocery stores used to serve as neighborhood hubs, because before delivery, the internet, and retailers like Target and Walmart moving into the space, brick-and-mortar retailers were the only option.
When I was a kid back in the 1980s, my town had a Star Market. That was the only supermarket that was an easy drive from our house. Amazon didn't exist yet, and the only thing you could get delivered was pizza, so we were loyal Star Market customers.
That has obviously changed over the years, and now, even in my three-square-mile hometown, there's a Stop & Shop as well as a Whole Foods. Crossing into neighboring towns brings multiple options, including Market Basket, Target, and Walmart.
Add in Amazon's ubiquity - and the ease of delivery through services including, but not limited to, Uber Eats, Instacart, and Target and Walmart's same-day options - and loyalty simply no longer means as much.
Despite that, many people have a nostalgic attachment to the grocery chain they grew up with. That makes it sad when a legacy brand like Harveys Supermarkets disappears.
Winn-Dixie ends the Harveys Supermarket brand
The Winn-Dixie Company has completed the conversion of eight Harveys Supermarket locations into Winn-Dixie-branded stores, unifying its store portfolio under one name.
"Each of the eight newly converted Winn-Dixie stores features a refreshed look and full product lineup, including signature Own Brand products, fresh produce, quality meats and prepared foods," according to a press release.
Winn-Dixie retained Harveys employees and added its own Winn-Dixie's Rewards program, with access to weekly digital deals, BOGOs, and Price Hold savings.
"The locations also reflect the character of the communities they serve, with expanded authentic Hispanic offerings and enhanced selections across produce, deli, bakery, meat and seafood departments, tailored to the tastes of each neighborhood," the company shared.
Harveys was founded in 1924, while the first Winn-Dixie launched in 1925, according to the Winn-Dixie website.
The newly converted Winn-Dixie locations include:
- 201 W. 48th St., Jacksonville, FL 32208
- 5250 Moncrief Road W., Jacksonville, FL 32209
- 5909 University Blvd. W., Jacksonville, FL 32216
- 4506 SW Heritage Oaks Circle, Lake City, FL 32024
- 2630 U.S. Highway 92, Lakeland, FL 33801
- 1305 Ariana St. W., Lakeland, FL 33803
- 3435 N. Pine Ave., Ocala, FL 34475
- 3606 S. Second St., Folkston, GA 31537
Why companies operate multiple banners
Ahold Delhaize, a grocery store giant, explicitly avoids full banner consolidation because regional identity drives performance in grocery. That was the strategy the company leaned on when Amazon and other digital rivals first moved into its markets.
"We're really focused on growing very local brands and their market share. We believe that the local ecosystem wins," former head of Ahold Delhaize USA told Retail Dive.
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That comment was made in 2018, but the company maintains its strategy of having localized brands operating in their markets independent of the parent company.
The company's various banners are "operating with a product mix and marketing strategy that meets the needs of customers in the region. It's a bold approach in an age where consolidation is growing as companies aim to save money and increase scale," according to Retail Dive.
As competition in the grocery space increases, grocery chains will need focus and operational excellence to survive.
"If you're not great, it's very tough out there," David J. Livingston, founder of DJL Research, told ICSC.com.
For smaller regional operators, that pressure can make maintaining multiple brands harder to justify.
In Winn-Dixie's case, the size of the brand and its relatively limited geographic territory in Florida and Georgia make a multiple-banner strategy less viable.
RTMNexus CEO Dominick Miserandino believes that Winn-Dixie had to make this move.
"It makes perfect sense to have the one brand because with eight stores you're basically managing two different branding campaigns. It's simply operationally not as worth it and just makes perfect sense to make it smooth and easy," he told TheStreet.
Related: Costco shares where it's spending its cash next
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 1:45 PM.