Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. Issues Statement Regarding Sale of Stores by Albertson's

Business Wire, June 12, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:WINN) today issued the following statement regarding the announcement that Albertson's LLC has agreed to sell 49 stores in Florida to Publix Super Markets, Inc. According to public reports, the transaction is expected to close in September 2008.

Winn-Dixie Chairman, CEO, and President Peter Lynch said, "Based on our analysis, only 10 of the 49 stores are within a two-mile operating radius of a Winn-Dixie location that does not currently compete with an existing Publix. As a result, we do not believe this transaction will have a material impact on our long-term strategy or performance. Our remodeled stores continue to generate positive results. As we move forward, we will monitor business conditions and fine-tune product assortment, pricing and merchandizing efforts in each store to meet the needs of the communities we serve."

About Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation's largest food retailers. Founded in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. The Company currently operates 521 retail grocery locations including more than 400 in-store pharmacies in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the expected results described in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include and may be indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "expect," "project," "continuing," "ongoing," "should," "will," "believe," or "intend" and similar words and phrases. There are many factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the expected results contemplated or implied by the Company's forward-looking statements.

The Company faces a number of risks and uncertainties with respect to its continuing business operations and its attempt to increase its sales and gross profit margin, including, but not limited to: the Company's ability to improve the quality of its stores and products; the Company's success in achieving increased customer count and sales in remodeled and other stores; the results of the Company's efforts to revitalize the corporate brands; competitive factors, which could include new store openings, price reduction programs and marketing strategies from other food and/or drug retail chains, supercenters and non-traditional competitors; the ability of the Company to manage gross margin rates effectively; the ability of the Company to attract, train and retain key leadership; the Company's ability to implement, maintain or upgrade information technology systems, including programs to support retail pricing policies; the outcome of the Company's programs to control or reduce operating and administrative expenses and to control inventory shrink; increases in utility rates or fuel costs, which could impact consumer spending and buying habits and the cost of doing business; the availability and terms of capital resources and financing and its adequacy for the Company's planned investment in store remodeling and other activities; the concentration of the Company's locations in the southeastern United States, which increases its vulnerability to severe storm damage; general business and economic conditions in the southeastern United States, including consumer spending levels, population, employment and job growth in some of our markets, and the additional risks relating to limitations on insurance coverage following the catastrophic storms in recent years; the Company's ability to successfully estimate self-insurance liabilities; changes in laws and other regulations affecting the Company's business; events that give rise to actual or potential food contamination, drug contamination or food-borne illness; the Company's ability to use net operating loss carryforwards under the federal tax laws; and the outcome of litigation or legal proceedings.

Please refer to discussions of these and other factors in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 27, 2007 and other Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.