JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie Stores here plans to increase capital spending in its stores and warehouse facilities by about 7% in fiscal 1997.
de, Winn-Dixie said in its annual report that it plans 70 new stores and 90 remodels, compared with 61 new or acquired units and 128 remodels in fiscal 1996. The chain closed 58 older, smaller stores last year but didn't specify possible closings this fiscal year. At fiscal year-end June 26, Winn-Dixie operated 1,178 stores, averaging 38,800 square feet. It said stores opened last year averaged 48,500 square feet, and older stores that were shut averaged 29,400 square feet.
Among capital plans for fiscal 1997, Winn-Dixie said it would open five more Thriftway stores in the Ohio-Kentucky area; three were opened last year. Winn-Dixie also said it plans three more stores in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area, which it entered last year with five units. Backstage facility plans, the chain reported, include expansion of its Orlando, Fla., grocery warehouse plus construction of a new warehouse and distribution center in Raleigh, N.C., and a new perishables facility in Montgomery, Ala.