Winn-Dixie parent company gets new CEO

Winn-Dixie Supermarket parent company Southeastern Grocers has picked a new president and CEO six weeks after former leader Ian McLeod left.

The Jacksonville-based grocery chain has picked another United Kingdom native, Anthony Hucker, to run the chain of grocery stores that includes Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Harvey’s, and Hispanic-oriented market Fresco y Mas.

Hucker has been with Southeastern Grocers for the last 18 months as chief operating officer. He’s a veteran of other regional grocery chains such as Schnuck’s in the Midwest and Giant Foods in Washington, D.C. Hucker has been running Southeastern Grocers since July 1.

McLeod’s two years at Southeastern Grocer were marked by attempts to revitalize and reinvent the brand, as well as store closures. McLeod was named CEO of Dairy Farm International Holdings in June.

In an interview last week with the Orlando Sentinel, Hucker said there are no immediate plans to close more Winn-Dixie stores. The chain has closed two locations in the last year in Orlando and Winter Park.

Winn-Dixie has struggled to distinguish itself in a market where traditional supermarkets are falling behind. Winn-Dixie has come under pressure from growth at low-end grocers, such as Aldi and Wal-Mart, as well as high-end grocers, such as Publix, Whole Foods and The Fresh Market.

Southeastern Grocers has 182 stores in the Central Florida region including the Daytona Beach, Orlando and Tampa areas. However, Winn-Dixie and Southeastern Grocers have just a 12 percent market share, far behind Publix’s 42 percent and Wal-Mart’s 30 percent, according to supermarket analyst Shelby Report.