Southeastern Grocers Raises Funds for Children’s Hospitals
Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is partnering with eight children’s hospitals across the Southeast to raise essential funds for pediatric health care provided to local children every day.
Through April 30, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie customers are encouraged to donate $1, $5 or round up their total grocery bill while shopping at their neighborhood stores to support their local children’s hospital. Donations will aid each facility’s specialty programs, including family centered support, therapeutic activities, research, child advocacy, pediatric cancer and additional programs that contribute to the recovery of young patients.
Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “We are dedicated to nurturing the health and happiness of the communities we serve. Our ongoing collaboration with our children’s hospital partners allows us to support the tireless work of health care providers, while fostering hope and healing for young patients and their families across the Southeast. Together with our customers, we can make a difference in the lives of children facing medical challenges and build a stronger, healthier future for all.”
Funds collected during SEG’s community donation program will be donated to the following eight children’s hospitals to support their specialized care and emergency services:
- Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
- Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children (Orlando)
- Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers)
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (St. Petersburg)
- Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (Miami)
- Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart (Pensacola)
- Children’s of Alabama (Birmingham, Alabama)
- Ochsner Children’s Hospital (New Orleans)
SEG has raised more than $1.1 million for its local children’s hospital partners since the program’s inception in 2021, and the grocer remains dedicated to serving its neighbors in need across its footprint.
In addition to supporting local children’s hospitals, SEG recently partnered with the Roc Solid Foundation to construct a playground set for a local child battling cancer as a patient at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Pediatric cancer patients cannot often use public playgrounds during treatment due to weakened immune systems, and a private playset provides the family with a way to create memories together safely. Through this ongoing partnership, SEG has built three additional playsets for local patients in Jacksonville (2021), Tampa (2022) and New Orleans (2023).
Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is an omnichannel retailer serving customers in brick-and-mortar grocery stores and liquor stores, as well as online with convenient grocery delivery and curbside pickup throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and caring associates and a strong commitment to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
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Gopuff, Misfits Market Team to Deliver Fresh Grocery Assortment
Gopuff has launched a comprehensive and affordable Fresh Grocery assortment powered by Misfits Market. Combining Gopuff’s leading instant delivery with great value driven by Misfits Market’s differentiated sourcing model, the partnership will deliver an extensive range of more than 300 items, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, fresh bread and more, to customers’ doors in as fast as 15 minutes.
“We are thrilled to unveil our Fresh Grocery initiative today. By capitalizing on our vertically integrated model and expansive scale, Gopuff is uniquely equipped to deliver high-quality fresh produce and groceries at very affordable prices,” said Yakir Gola, Gopuff co-founder and co-CEO. “We are proud to partner with Misfits Market to make it possible for our customers to get 300+ fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, fresh bread and more in as fast as 15 minutes. The addition of fresh grocery on top of Gopuff’s existing 5,000 everyday essentials brings us one step closer in achieving our mission of maximizing every moment in our customers lives and marks a transformative advancement for our customers.”
During pilot testing, one-quarter of all orders in test markets contained Fresh Grocery items and, as the company continues to invest in strategic initiatives to drive growth, Fresh Grocery has led to 20% bigger baskets and more than 50 percent increases in sales for produce, dairy, prepared foods and meat. Today, the Fresh Grocery assortment is available to customers in most major metros with expansion to additional Gopuff micro-fulfillment centers to follow.
To bring its Fresh Grocery offering to life, Gopuff partnered with Misfits Market, the online grocer that reduces food waste and makes shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable. With Misfits Market delivering to Gopuff’s micro-fulfillment centers almost daily, Gopuff offers the freshest food at affordable prices. FAM members can get up to 50 percent off fresh groceries, a banana for just $0.25 each, an avocado for $0.59 cents and organic eggs for only $2, alongside thousands of everyday essentials, all delivered in a single order in as fast as 15 minutes.
“Extending our food value supply chain to power Gopuff’s fresh grocery expansion gets us one step closer to our vision of reimagining the food system and eradicating food waste,” said Misfits Market founder and CEO Abhi Ramesh. “We share a passion for making nutritious food more accessible and saving food from waste. With Gopuff leveraging our sourcing and supplier relationships, together we can provide savings for American consumers who continue to face inflated prices at traditional grocery stores.”
Gopuff, which completed more than 4 million orders to customers in food deserts in 2023, is uniquely positioned to help address food accessibility – a critical issue in many of the communities where it operates. With its expansion into Fresh Grocery, Gopuff has the power to help more Americans access the fresh, high-quality food and groceries they need.
The launch comes on the heels of Gopuff joining the White House Challenge to End Hunger, where the company committed to donating millions of pounds of food to local food banks and partnering with local governments to ensure resources are made available where they are needed.
Over the past two years alone, Gopuff locations have donated nearly 2 million pounds of food to the Feeding America network of food banks. In 2023, Misfits Market donated nearly 6 million pounds of food to 67 food pantry partners as well as 1.5 million meals to Feeding America ($1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks). Gopuff also recently partnered with The Greater Boston Food Bank, participating in the organization’s annual Day of Giving by volunteering to answer phones and donating $50,000 to support the fight against hunger.
Gopuff is the leading Instant Commerce platform, bringing thousands of everyday products to customers in as fast as 15 minutes. Gopuff stores everything from household essentials and groceries to OTC medication and more within hundreds of micro-fulfillment centers and omnichannel retail stores across the United States and United Kingdom. Founded in 2013 by co-founders and co-CEOs, Rafael Ilishayev and Yakir Gola, Gopuff’s unique, vertically integrated platform offers customers a seamless and consistently fast shopping experience.
To learn more, visit www.gopuff.com or follow Gopuff on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Download the Gopuff app on iOS and Android.
Misfits Market, the direct-to-consumer online grocer that reduces food waste and makes shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable, delivers value by making it convenient to shop, eat, and live better. The company has created the first-of-its-kind food value supply chain focused on building relationships with farmers, distributors, and producers to eliminate food waste while expanding food access. Misfits Market delivers rescued and upcycled foods as part of its full selection of groceries to nearly every zip code in 48 states at up to 30 percent off traditional grocery store prices. In 2024, the company launched Fulfilled by Misfits, a dedicated B2B service for perishable brands to store, pick, pack, fulfill, and deliver their products nationwide via Misfits Market’s logistics platform. To learn more and order your first box, visit misfitsmarket.com or follow Misfits Market on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Download the Misfits Market app on iOS and Android.
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Maison Solutions Acquires Arizona-Based Asian Grocer Lee Lee Supermarkets
Maison Solutions Inc. a U.S.-based specialty grocery retailer offering traditional Asian and international food and merchandise, has acquired Lee Lee Oriental Supermart, Inc., a three-store supermarket chain operating under the name, Lee Lee International Supermarkets, in the greater Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
The company acquired the supermarkets through AZLL, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company and the company’s wholly owned subsidiary. The purchase price of $22.2 million will be paid over a 10-month period and includes $7 million in cash paid immediately at closing on April 8, with the rest paid through a secured note agreement.
“This transaction demonstrates our strategy of expanding by acquisition in geographic locations with large and growing Asian and ethnic populations,” said John Xu, president and chief executive officer of Maison Solutions. “Lee Lee International Supermarkets has an established brand presence in Arizona and is a perfect fit for Maison, giving us a base for further growth in the region.
“The strategic acquisition is expected to add approximately $70 million in annual revenue for us, effectively doubling our current size. We remain committed to future growth through new store openings and acquisitions,” Xu added.
Stores Highlights:
- The Chandler (Phoenix metro area) store comprises more than 52,000 square feet. This market includes a Vietnamese restaurant, a bakery, and a jewelry store.
- The Peoria (Phoenix metro area) store comprises more than 60,000 square feet. This market includes a Vietnamese restaurant, a boba tea store, a jewelry store and a clothing store.
- The Tucson store comprises more than 51,000 square feet. This market includes a Vietnamese restaurant and a BBQ restaurant.
Lee Lee International Supermarkets is the largest international market in Arizona. Its three locations offer products from more than 30 countries and regions, and provide the highest quality product selection available. Founded over 30 years ago, Lee Lee International Supermarkets has won multiple awards for best international supermarket, Asian market and specialty foods.
Maison Solutions Inc. is a U.S.-based specialty grocery retailer offering traditional Asian food and merchandise, particularly to members of Asian-American communities. The Company is committed to providing Asian fresh produce, meat, seafood, and other daily necessities in a manner that caters to traditional Asian-American family values and cultural norms, while also accounting for the new and faster-paced lifestyle of younger generations and the diverse makeup of the communities in which the company operates. Since its formation in 2019, the company has acquired equity interests in four traditional Asian supermarkets in the Los Angeles area, and has been operating them under the brand name HK Good Fortune.
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