The retailer, owned by Bi-Lo LLC, may shutter as many as 200 stores as part of the bankruptcy filing, the report said, citing a person familiar with the matter. The business went bankrupt in 2005 and 2009.
This time, Bi-Lo LLC may be able to restructure its debt in court rather than make the filing, Bloomberg reported.
“Southeastern Grocers is undertaking an ongoing strategic review in advance of our unsecured bond maturity later this year. The company’s business operations continue to be strong, as we serve our customers with quality and commitment by working seamlessly with our business partners every day. We are dedicated to being a great place for associates to work and a great place for our customers to shop by providing quality, service and value in the communities we serve,” the statement reads.
Southeastern Grocers, based in Jacksonville, operates more than 700 stores and employs 50,000 employees in the United States. It also operates the Fresco y Mas and Harveys chains, according to Bloomberg.
It reads: “Since mid-January, UFCW Local One has been consulted by our legal team consisting of health care, pension and 401K attorneys and an attorney that specializes in restructuring and bankruptcy filings. We have additional meetings set up this coming week to discuss more strategies to hit this situation head-on.”
