Winn-Dixie president and CEO Al Rowland told analysts that the company plans to build an upscale store in the Jacksonville, Fla., suburb of Ponte Vedra. Rowland said that the company was intrigued by the opportunities that an upscale format might allow it to take advantage of, and that he did not know how many such units Winn-Dixie might eventually operate.
He also noted that an upscale format would allow the company to learn some things that it could apply to its mainstream units.
He also noted that an upscale format would allow the company to learn some things that it could apply to its mainstream units.
- KC's View:
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This sounds like Winn-Dixie is looking to develop a strategy similar to what HEB has done with its County Market stores…develop a more up-market approach that can serve as a laboratory for strategies and concepts.
Which is, in our mind, a very good idea.
Retailers that operate a multitude of formats and appeal to different consumers with different kinds of stores will in the long run have a competitive advantage.
