Southern Family Markets

Southern Family Markets, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, was a chain of American supermarkets owned and operated by C&S Wholesale Grocers, a distributor based in Keene, New Hampshire. The chain was operated as an affiliate of C&S. Southern Family Markets had operated a varying number of supermarkets and 10 liquor stores under the banners Southern Family Markets, Piggly Wiggly, Bruno's, and Food World. The liquor stores, all located along the gulf coast, were called SFM Liquors.

C&S created the chain in 2005, when it acquired 104 stores from BI-LO, which operated stores under the BI-LO, Bruno's Supermarkets, Food World, FoodMax and Food Fair brand names.[1] These stores were primarily smaller and older, and frequently found in declining neighborhoods and were converted over to SFM over a period of nearly one year. Before ever becoming Southern Family stores, eight locations in the Knoxville, Tennessee market were sold to K-Va-T Food Stores.[2]

At its apex, SFM consisted of 88 supermarkets. In addition, Southern Family acquired 7 stores from Winn-Dixie, which had been undergoing a retrenchment out of upper regions of the Southeast, back toward its home base of Florida due to bankruptcy restructuring of the company. These stores were located in North Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi. By 2010, most of these locations had closed, though SFM continued to operate the Athens, Alabama store under the Piggly Wiggly banner as well as a location in Columbus, Mississippi.

Under increasing competition from other grocers, supercenters, warehouse stores and natural food stores, Southern Family Markets announced in August 2006 that they would either close or sell 30 stores in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi along with their complete North Carolina market of 17 stores. This also led to a significant round of SFM headquarters layoffs (over 60 displaced employees), particularly to those employees without Bruno's or C&S background. These layoffs took place in late August and September 2006.[3] Soon after, on November 30, 2006, Southern Family Markets announced that it was closing all 7 stores in Tennessee,[4] then announced on January 5, 2007 that it would close all six stores in its hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.[5]

In August 2007, C&S converted six Southern Family stores in Georgia to the Piggly Wiggly brand name.[6] In October 2007, seven Southern Family stores in Alabama were converted to the Piggly Wiggly banner.[7] In January 2008, three additional Southern Family stores in Alabama were converted to Piggly Wiggly's as well.[8][9]

On April 30, 2009, as part of the Bruno's Supermarkets bankruptcy proceedings, Southern Family Markets agreed to purchase 31 Bruno's locations on a "going concern" basis in a $45.8 million deal. In partnership with Hilco Liquidations, Southern Family Markets held "going out of business" sales at the 25 Bruno's, Food World, and Foodmax stores that they did not acquire.[10] The purchase would return the company to a retail presence in metro Birmingham, with six Bruno's and Food World locations remaining open.[11]

In September 2009, SFM announced plans to close stores in Carrollton, Dublin, and Macon, Georgia due to underperformance. In March 2010, two stores in Huntsville, Alabama closed for the same reasons. On October 5, 2010, Southern Family Markets announced the closings of the Food World stores in Trussville and Pelham (both in the Birmingham, Alabama area).[12] This made a total of 11 stores to close since SFM/C&S Wholesale acquired Bruno's Supermarkets in mid 2009.

On July 1, 2012, all 57 Southern Family owned locations in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida were sold to Belle Foods. As part of the agreement, C&S would continue as Belle Foods main distributor.[13] In July, 2013, Belle Foods filed for filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[14]