MILTON — When Winn-Dixie customers asked for a better shopping experience, the company listened and started remodeling its grocery stores to meet customers’ expectations.
The Winn Dixie at 5428 Dogwood Drive was remodeled and re-opened Wednesday with prizes, food and performances by the Milton High School band.
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. is headquartered in Jacksonville and operates some 500 stores in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi, according to the company's website.
David Logan, a district manager for Winn-Dixie, said customers asked for more convenience and selection.
"We started with the Dollar Shop," Logan said, referring to a new section in which all merchandise costs $1.
Other changes include a better and larger selection of produce, including organic varieties. The deli was expanded to include grab-and-go meals. The hot bar selection has chicken, ribs, pork and brisket cooked in a variety of ways and salads of all sorts. The store has full-service seafood and meat departments with a butcher on-site. The beer and wine sections have also expanded, Logan said.
Winn-Dixie used Wednesday's reopening to present a $1,000 check to its community partner, Ferris Hill Baptist Church, for its feeding program.
"I'm so excited about Winn-Dixie's fresh look," Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay said of the store's new signage and facade. "This Winn-Dixie is a part of my everyday life. The people here are wonderful."
Logan said a second reopening celebration will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. There will be live entertainment, kids activities, food samplings and a $100 gift card given away every half hour from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Winn-Dixie has new look