Winn-Dixie announces price cuts
Shoppers who have been going to the two Winn-Dixie supermarkets in North Fort Myers the last few days have noticed a pleasant surprise. The things they shop for the most have become much cheaper.
The grocery chain launched its “Down Down” pricing program Wednesday as a way to bring prices down and keep them that way. Three months earlier the store had lowered prices on numerous items in a previous pricing program.
Winn-Dixie has dropped the prices on hundreds of groceries that customers buy most by as much as 50 percent on some items, including bread, chicken, fresh produce, dairy, meat, dry, frozen and home goods, store officials said
A loaf of Winn-Dixie sliced white/wheat bread was $1.99. It’s now $1, a 50 percent reduction, while a four-pound bag of Winn-Dixie granulated sugar that was $2.35 is now $2, a reduction of 15 percent.
The pricing is competitive, helps struggling families who are on some form of public assistance, and increases trust from customers tired of the constant price fluctuations on items like chicken and milk, the company said.
“We know that almost one in five people are relying on support to feed their families every week and our customer surveys report that ‘affordable prices’ was the most important requirement from a grocery store. We picked items that we know our customers buy the most,” said Meredith Holland, public relations account manager at St. John & Partners.
“We are committed to build a deeper sense of trust with our customers, and unveiling the long-term ‘Down Down’ pricing campaign is a demonstration of just how serious we are about giving our customers lower prices,” said Ian McLeod, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers ? owners of Winn-Dixie and its other chain, Bi-Lo, in a statement.
‘Down Down’ follows the company’s launch of ‘New Regular Pricing,’ in October, which reduced the prices of favorite grocery items.
Holland said ‘Down Down’ prices are expected to stay at that level for at least six months.
The “Down Down” program will apply deeper discounts on more than 400 frequently purchased items. That will be on top of more than 3,000 “New Regular Prices” already lowered.
Publix, which has no “loyalty card program,” saw the Winn-Dixie rollout as good news for the consumer, but had little additional comment.
“We welcome competition. It makes us better and the customer always wins,” said Brian West, Media and Community Relations manager at Publix, adding that he didn’t know if recent price dropping constitutes a trend.
Laura S. Strange, director of communications and marketing for the National Grocers Association, said she has no data to suggest a trend, either.
“The supermarket industry is a highly competitive industry and lower prices can be one factor that differentiates one retailer from another,” Strange said. “Retailers often look for ways to reduce costs and keep prices low while providing value to their consumers.”