East Coast storm disrupts food retailers

Food retailers along the East Coast appeared to keep their stores open as much as possible as the first major storm of 2018 dropped snow and caused heavy winds from Florida to New England.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers, parent of the Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo and other banners, temporarily closed a limited number of locations “during the peak of the storm for the safety of our customers and associates,” said Joe Caldwell, a spokesman for the retailer. “However, they were quickly reopened to serve our neighbors as soon as it was safe to do so.”

No distribution centers were closed as a result of the storm, he said.

“We continue to make every effort to provide our customers with the essentials they need before, during and after a storm,” Caldwell said. “Our experience with severe weather impacts, including this past hurricane season, has dramatically shaped our response efforts and disaster relief initiatives to support the communities we serve.”

Several food retailers, including The Fresh Market, Fairway, Stew Leonard’s, ShopRite and others, used social media to keep customers posted throughout the day Thursday about store closings. Several stores in the Northeast closed early, while others in the Mid-Atlantic re-opened as the storm passed.

New York-based delivery company FreshDirect warned that some deliveries could be delayed or arrive early because of the storm:

ShopRite advised customers to call their local store or check the Facebook page to see if their store was open:

Tewksbury, Mass.-based Market Basket closed all of its stores at 4:30 p.m.:

Ahold-owned grocery ecommerce service Peapod took to Twitter to respond to customer concerns about delivery delays: