Jun 1, 2005 12:00 PM

Southern Family Markets Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc, has agreed to purchase 104 of the 428 BI-LO and Bruno's stores. These stores will be divested in a series of transactions over the next 11 months.

BI-LO LLC, the parent company of BI-LO and Bruno's Supermarkets Inc, also will try to market and sell another nine stores on its own and will close three stores as part of its plan to focus on its core markets.

The company will concentrate its efforts and financial resources on more than 300 stores in core markets. BI-LO/Bruno's will remodel stores, build new ones, invest in technology, and bolster marketing efforts in these core markets.

In January 2005, BI-LO sold its warehouse facilities and moved its distribution and replenishment functions to C&S. This allowed BI-LO/Bruno's to free up capital for reinvestment in its stores, while letting the company focus on operating supermarkets.