Last year the parent company for Bi-Lo closed 94 of its stores across the U.S., and 19 of those supermarkets were in South Carolina, The State reported.
On Thursday, Southeastern Grocers announced plans to close 22 more of its stores, including 10 located in the Palmetto State, according to postandcourier.com.
Two of those grocery stores are in the Midlands. The Bi-Lo on Columbia Avenue in Lexington is closing, and reportedly the one on Emanuel Church Road in West Columbia will also close in March, according to Facebook posts.
“We are so very heartbroken and sorry to tell you our Lexington store will be closing,” was posted on Bi-Lo Lexington’s Facebook page. “Last day will be the end of March, not sure of exact date. Please pray for our employees as they navigate thru this difficult time.”
Southeastern Grocers said the stores will “close on or before March 25,” according to the Observer, which said two stores will close in Charlotte.
In a statement, the closing Bi-Lo’s were called “underperforming stores.”
“We realize that the closure of an underperforming store in your community can be challenging,” Southeastern Grocers statement said, according to the Augusta Chronicle. “We do not take these decisions lightly, and only make this tough choice after careful consideration of its impact on our associates and our customers has been made.”
The other stores closing in S.C. are located in the Charleston area, two near Myrtle Beach, four in the Upstate and one in North Augusta.
Remaining merchandise at the stores will have prices marked down, the Sun News reported.
There is no word on how many employees will be out of work because of the closing stores.
Southeastern Grocers owns Bi-Lo, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery store chains, according to its website.
In March 2018, Southeastern Grocers closed three of its Columbia grocery stores, located on Broad River Road, Decker Boulevard and North Main Street, The State reported.
This story was originally published February 21, 2019 at 9:54 PM.
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