First of three Piggly Wiggly Food For Less stores set to open in former Winn-Dixie locations

The first of three local Piggly Wiggly Food For Less stores is preparing to open in Wetumpka, taking the place of Winn-Dixie, which is exiting Alabama.

The store on U.S. Highway 231 will open at 7AM on Tuesday, January 13. Two Winn-Dixie stores in Montgomery are also scheduled to become Piggly Wiggly Food For Less locations. They are located on Vaughn Road, which has already closed to undergo remodeling, and the store on Mobile Highway.

Piggly Wiggly Food For Less is a family-owned chain based in Panama City, Florida. The chain operates using a cost +10% model. Customers pay the store’s cost for items, plus 10% at checkout.

“We’re excited to bring Piggly Wiggly Food For Less to Wetumpka and reopen this store for the community,” said the McDaniel family leadership team. “Our goal is to provide a dependable, affordable grocery option while creating local jobs and supporting the everyday needs of families in this area.”

Piggly Wiggly Food For Less has also purchased two stores in Georgia and one in Florida to add to its portfolio of stores in the Florida Panhandle and South Georgia.

As Action 8 News has reported, Winn-Dixie announced last year that it was pulling out of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and most of Georgia to focus on stores in its home state of Florida. Winn-Dixie had a major presence in our part of the state for generations, but over the years, the number of stores dwindled. It also went through two bankruptcies.

In our area, former Winn-Dixie stores in Selma, Auburn and on Carter Hill Road in Montgomery were bought and converted into Aldi locations. Stores in Millbrook and Opelika are scheduled to close soon with no buyers announced. The Prattville store opened as Piggly Wiggly last year. Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated.

Winn-Dixie will have about 130 stores left following these store sales and closures. Dozens of remodels and new store projects are both planned and already underway in Florida and southern Georgia. Winn-Dixie says it will remain in the south Georgia cities of Brunswick, Folkston, Lake Park, St. Simons Island and Valdosta.

CLICK HERE to see the list of Winn-Dixie stores in Southeast and who is buying them.