Winn-Dixie loss widens in Q1

Jacksonville, Fla. Winn-Dixie Stores reported late Monday a fiscal first-quarter loss of $8.1 million, compared with a loss of $2.3 million in the year-ago quarter.

The grocer attributed the widened loss to revenue drops on storm-related sales and six store closures.

For the quarter that ended Sept. 16, Winn-Dixie also reported comp-store sales decreases of almost 2% as well as total sales decreases of 2% to $1.64 billion.

Winn-Dixie chairman, CEO, and president Peter Lynch, said, “The economic climate continued to impede our growth during the quarter …”

The company said that by the end of the quarter it had remodeled 170 stores since starting a remodeling program in 2007. Winn-Dixie said it plans to remodel 75 stores during the current fiscal year.

Winn-Dixie currently operates 515 grocery stores in the southeastern United States.