Discount grocer Aldi announced last month that it plans to buy 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in the southern U.S.
But while they will acquire the stores, Aldi does not run pharmacies as Winn-Dixie does. Winn-Dixie has announced it will transfer prescriptions from its stores in advance of the purchase by Aldi.
Southeastern Grocers, the owner of Winn-Dixie, says it has entered into agreements to transfer prescription files to certain CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. According to the company, it anticipates that the transfer of these pharmacy files will be completed by the end of 2023.
“While we do not have a definitive date at this time, we can assure you that nothing changes today,” Winn-Dixie said in an email statement.
“We remain committed to protecting the health and wellness of our customers and communities until the transactions are finalized, and our pharmacy customers will be provided sufficient advance notice prior to the transfer,” according to the statement.
“We are working closely with CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens to ensure that our customers’ prescriptions are handled carefully and confidentially and that there won’t be any delay in service.”
Southeastern Grocers will continue to operate Winn Dixie supermarkets until the sale to Aldi closes in 2024. But the pharmacies will close before then, by the end of 2023.