Two Independent Piggly Wiggly store owners, with the support of C&S Wholesale Grocers, have entered into a definitive agreement with Southeastern Grocers (SEG) to acquire one BI-LO store in South Carolina and one BI-LO store in Georgia. This agreement is part of a series of transactions for SEG as part of its strategic decision to divest of the BI-LO banner, which was announced on June 4.
Piggly Wiggly stores in South Carolina and Southeast Georgia, which are independently owned and operated, are supported and supplied by C&S Wholesale Grocers.
“Our independent owners are excited to grow their existing store footprint and expand the Piggly Wiggly brand in the Southeast,” said John Owens, VP and Southeast general manager for C&S Wholesale Grocers. “We look forward to serving our new customers with the high-quality products and exceptional service that Piggly Wiggly stores are known for.”
The BI-LO store located at 1042 US-80 West in Pooler, Georgia, is being purchased by Ashley and Missy Thompson, current owners of four Piggly Wiggly locations in Southeast Georgia.
The BI-LO store located at 760 US-378 in Lexington, South Carolina, is being purchased by Charles Starbuck, a new owner for Piggly Wiggly stores in the Southeast.
The transactions are expected to close in mid-January 2021 and are subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Upon completion of the transaction, the acquired stores will be rebranded under the Piggly Wiggly banner name.
With the additional stores converting to the Piggly Wiggly banner, C&S Wholesale Grocers will service a total of 55 Piggly Wiggly locations in South Carolina and Southeast Georgia.
Piggly Wiggly was established on Sept. 6, 1916, by Clarence Saunders in Memphis, Tennessee as the first self-service grocery store in the United States. Today, there are more than 600 Piggly Wiggly supermarkets independently owned and operated in several states, including 53 located in South Carolina and Coastal Georgia.
C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,700 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 137,000 different products.
