Southern Family Markets
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarket |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Fate | Acquired by Belle Foods in 2012; brand ceased to exist |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama , United States |
Area served | Southeastern United States (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina) |
Key people | Frank Curci (first CEO), Bill White (CEO), Jeff Burkhead (General Manager), Max Henderson (General Manager) |
| Products | Grocery stores, liquor stores (SFM Liquors) |
| Parent | C&S Wholesale Grocers (until 2012) |
Southern Family Markets Overview
Southern Family Markets, based in Birmingham, Alabama, was a supermarket chain operating across the United States and owned by C&S Wholesale Grocers, a distributor headquartered in Keene, New Hampshire. Functioning as a C&S affiliate, the chain managed a fluctuating number of grocery stores alongside 10 liquor outlets branded as SFM Liquors, all situated along the Gulf Coast. The grocery stores operated under various banners including Southern Family Markets, Piggly Wiggly, Bruno's, and Food World.
C&S Wholesale Grocers established Southern Family Markets in 2005 following the acquisition of 104 stores from BI-LO, which had previously operated under several names such as BI-LO, Bruno's Supermarkets, Food World, FoodMax, and Food Fair. These acquired locations were predominantly smaller, older stores often located in economically challenged areas and were gradually rebranded as Southern Family Markets over nearly a year. Prior to this transition, eight stores in the Knoxville, Tennessee area were sold to K-Va-T Food Stores.
At its peak, Southern Family Markets operated 88 supermarkets. Additionally, the chain expanded by purchasing seven stores from Winn-Dixie, which was retreating from northern parts of the Southeast to focus on its Florida base amid bankruptcy restructuring. These locations were spread across North Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi. By 2010, most had shut down; however, SFM continued operations at the Piggly Wiggly store in Athens, Alabama and another in Columbus, Mississippi.
Facing mounting competition from other grocery retailers, supercenters, warehouse clubs, and natural food outlets, Southern Family Markets declared in August 2006 its intention to close or sell 30 stores across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. This announcement also included exiting the entire North Carolina market of 17 stores. As a consequence, significant layoffs occurred at SFM’s headquarters during late August and September 2006, affecting over 60 employees—particularly those without prior experience at Bruno’s or C&S. Subsequently, on November 30, 2006, SFM announced the closure of all seven Tennessee locations. Shortly after, on January 5, 2007, it revealed plans to shut down all six stores within its home city of Birmingham.
In mid-2007, C&S rebranded several Southern Family Markets stores to the Piggly Wiggly banner: six locations in Georgia converted in August and seven in Alabama by October. Early 2008 saw three more Alabama stores adopt the Piggly Wiggly name.
On April 30, 2009, amid Bruno's Supermarkets' bankruptcy proceedings, Southern Family Markets agreed to acquire 31 Bruno's stores for $45.8 million on a going concern basis. Partnering with Hilco Liquidations, SFM conducted going-out-of-business sales at the remaining 25 Bruno's, Food World, and Foodmax outlets not included in the purchase. This acquisition marked SFM’s return to retail presence within metro Birmingham with six Bruno's and Food World locations remaining operational.
In September 2009, SFM announced closures of underperforming stores in Carrollton, Dublin, and Macon, Georgia. Two additional Huntsville, Alabama locations closed in March 2010 for similar reasons. Later that year on October 5th, Food World stores in Trussville and Pelham (both near Birmingham) were also closed. These actions brought the total number of store closures since acquiring Bruno's Supermarkets in mid-2009 to eleven.
On July 1, 2012, ownership of all 57 Southern Family Markets locations across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida transferred to Belle Foods. Under this agreement, C&S Wholesale Grocers remained Belle Foods’ primary distributor. However, by July 2013, Belle Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Leadership
Since the company's establishment in 2005, multiple individuals have held the roles of CEO, President, or General Manager. The inaugural CEO was Frank Curci, who later became CEO of Tops Markets in New York, and he departed the company in early 2006. His successor was Bill White, unrelated to the current owner, who came from Maryland and previously held senior positions at Bruno's and Piggly Wiggly in Vidalia, Georgia. White exited in 2007 and was succeeded by Jeff Burkhead, whose official title was General Manager rather than CEO. Burkhead had experience as a district manager with Bruno's and later SFM before ascending to this leadership role. In 2010, Max Henderson took over from Burkhead; notably, Henderson had ties to Tops Markets, where the first SFM CEO Frank Curci had also worked. Henderson possessed familiarity with C&S Wholesale Grocers’ operations—the parent company of SFM—and reported directly to C&S executives Bob Palmer and Rick Cohen. The majority of SFM’s corporate staff were former employees of either Bruno's or C&S. Jeff Burkhead left in spring 2010 and currently owns and operates a single supermarket in Memphis, Tennessee. Max Henderson departed when Belle Foods assumed control in July 2012.
Banners
Southern Family Markets gradually transitioned its remaining store brands from Southern Family Markets to either Piggly Wiggly or revived the Bruno's/Food World names at some locations acquired during the 2009 purchase of Bruno's assets from Lone Star Funds. Belle Foods intends to rebrand all remaining outlets under the Belle Foods name.
Future and Belle Foods
On July 1, 2012, Belle Foods completed acquisition of 57 Southern Family Markets stores across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida, taking over their operations. Bill White, President and CEO of Belle Foods, expressed optimism regarding significant growth opportunities for both the company and its workforce. The chain plans to continue sourcing primarily through C&S. Following this transaction, the Southern Family Markets brand—both corporate and retail—ceased to exist. Nevertheless, numerous employees at both corporate offices and retail locations remained from the previous organization. In July 2012, Belle Foods rebranded two stores in Birmingham and aims to convert all remaining stores at a pace of eight to ten per quarter until all 57 operate under the Belle Foods banner.
Headquarters
Southern Family Markets’ headquarters were situated within a section of the former Bruno's headquarters on Lakeshore Parkway in Birmingham, Alabama. Since fall 2008, C&S has attempted to lease or sell not only the portion occupied by SFM but also the segment used by Bruno's; however, no tenants were secured. Although a relocation from the Bruno's facility was announced in 2005, it never materialized, nor was any alternate site ever revealed following that announcement.
Since 2008, C&S Wholesale Grocers has subleased parts of the warehouse space to other businesses—Rooms To Go being one such tenant. The warehouse encompassed over 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m2), but as grocery shipment volumes decreased annually from this facility, less space was required for ongoing operations. This allowed additional areas to be leased out.
Belle Foods continues to occupy the same office premises that SFM used since 2005. There are no current plans to relocate headquarters as Belle Foods’ supply agreement includes leasing this office space for their base of operations.
References
External links
- Websites related to SFM:
- Announcement: C&S acquires 104 BI-LO/Bruno's locations
- Official website of C&S Wholesale Grocers