Hello everyone,

My name is Dale Ray, and I have the pleasure of leading the Riteway Sales and Marketing Team here in Jacksonville. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for the trust you place in Riteway to support your business. We are honored to partner with you and work hard every day to maintain that trust.

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the halfway point of 2025. Our team continues to be deeply engaged as Southeastern Grocers (SEG) undergoes major changes following the Aldi acquisition in March 2024.

To date, 128 Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s store closures have been announced, reducing SEG’s total footprint to 272 stores—a 32% decline. Aldi is on track to complete store conversions by Q2 of 2027, which will leave SEG with 170 locations. While these closures pose significant year-over-year sales challenges, many of our brands have demonstrated impressive resilience.

At Riteway, we’re here to help you navigate this evolving landscape with strategic insights, dedicated resources, and strong retailer relationships. We remain optimistic—and committed—to helping our partners thrive.

Winn-Dixie is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and will continue to serve as a key regional grocer in the Southeast.

After 37 years in this business, much of it spent working with retailers under 200 stores, I know firsthand that we can succeed in this environment—just as we have before.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Let’s move forward together with confidence.

Dale Ray

Vice President
Southeastern Grocers Team

Employee Spotlight

James Chadwick –
Senior Business Manager, Publix Team

James Chadwick was recently honored as one of our 2024 Riteway Impact Award recipients, and for good reason.

James stands out for his unwavering commitment to our client partners and his ability to deliver exceptional results. He proactively identifies opportunities, develops strategic plans, and consistently executes with excellence.

Beyond performance, James is a natural leader who brings out the best in others. His willingness to collaborate, share knowledge, and support his teammates has made a lasting impact on the Riteway culture.

Congratulations to James on this well-deserved recognition. Your dedication and leadership continue to inspire our entire team.

Riteway in the Community: Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic

In May, Riteway proudly sponsored the 23rd Annual Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic, presented by Publix.

Over two inspiring days, our team had the privilege of meeting several athletes whose stories left a lasting impression. We’re also honored to sponsor a Special Olympics athlete for the upcoming year—supporting their access to training, competition, and care.

Giving back is part of our DNA, and we’re grateful to be part of this impactful event.

Riteway in the Community: Admin Day Celebration

Our incredible Admin Team showed off their creativity during a team outing at Painting with a Twist!

Their behind-the-scenes efforts keep us running smoothly every day—and they certainly know how to brighten a canvas and a workplace.

Here’s to always blooming where you’re planted!

Top 100 Food Retailers in North America

Source: Progressive Grocer

Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of top North American food retailers revealed some key shifts:

The top 10 remained fairly stable. Walgreens dropped to No. 6 while CVS climbed to No. 5. Target moved to No. 7.
Notable declines included Rite Aid (No. 26 from 22), SpartanNash (No. 45 from 41), and HelloFresh (No. 56 from 46).
New additions included Canada’s Pattison Food Group (No. 48) and KeHE (No. 52).
Southeastern Grocers (previously No. 44) is no longer ranked this year, along with Maverik and 99 Cents Only.

You can view the full list and rankings here:

Industry Insights & Trends

Inflationary pressures are driving consumers to Private Brands to stay within budget. Food prices have increased 23.6 % percent in the last 4 years . Bakery, Dairy, Deli, Meat, Frozen, Produce, Grocery, Seafood and Alcohol categories have all experienced significant Private Brand share gains.

Private Brands on the Rise: With food prices up 23.6% over the last 4 years, shoppers are leaning into Private Brands to stay on budget.

Category Gains: Every Edible Category has seen long-term Private Brand growth, with Seafood leading the way.

Outperforming National Brands: Over the past 3 years, Private Brand dollar sales have significantly outpaced Branded product trends.

Source: NIQ Retail Measurement Services, Total US xAOC (UPC coded- random-weight/Non-UPC), 52 weeks ended 3/29/2025

Private Brand dollar sales performance has significantly outperformed Branded trend the last 3 years.