Save Rite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Save Rite is a U.S. chain of discount grocery stores owned by Winn-Dixie. The store aims to offer the prices of bulk-discount stores like Costco with the customer-friendly environment of traditional supermarkets, as reflected in their slogan "Warehouse Price, Supermarket Nice." The store offers cheaper prices by offering a smaller selection and less customer support (i.e. understaffing) than most grocery stores.

The chain's marketing is based on its somewhat comical looking mascot Captain Save-Rite, who is shown as a cartoon super-hero resembling Captain America.

Winn-Dixie created the Save-Rite brand as an experiment to increase its revenues and opened 11 stores throughout its distribution area. In November 2001, Winn-Dixie announced plans to convert nearly all of its 40-some Winn-Dixie and Winn-Dixie Marketplace brand stores in the metro Atlanta area into Save-Rites as a last-ditch effort to keep a hold on its market share, which was rapidly declining due to stiff competition from Wal-Mart, Publix, Kroger, and other similar stores.

However in 2005, Save-Rite pulled out of the metro Atlanta area due to Winn Dixie's decision to close 386 stores in the area. Prior to the latest cuts in February of 2006, the only known states that have at least one Save-Rite are Mississippi and Florida, most notably in the Orlando metro area, and in the Meridian, Mississippi area as well. On February 28, 2006, Winn Dixie announced that it would close about 11 additional Save Rite stores in Central Florida.