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* ! i t i * 40-YEAR CLUB—Clinton Mills Preai- E. E. Cagle, Forest Samples; back dent Robert M. Vance presented 40- row: C. F. Oakley, Coley Campbell, year service awards to 11 Clinton Clyde Trammell, Dan Dunaway, Cas- Mills employees at Sunday’s Old ey Little, and Mr. Vance. Marvin Timers’ Banquet. Receiving the Whitmire and Nathan Cannon were awards were, front row, left to absent when the picture was made, right: Oscar Kinard. Kate Riddle, (Yarborough Photo) 10-A—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton. S. C., Dec. 3. 1070 (V From One-Store Operation Winn-Dixie Has Grown To $1 Billion Sales Bracket From a small one-store ope rat on in 1925, Winn-Dixie has grown to its present posi tion as the South’s leading re tailer with sales exceeding $1 billion annually. Its founder was W. M. Davis, whose sons continue to provide the company with executive leadership. They are A. D. Davis, Chairman of the Execu tive Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board; J. E. Davis, Chairman of the Board, and M. Austin and Tine W. Davis, Senior Vice Presidents and regional store operations directors. Headquartered in Jackson ville, Fla., Winn-Dixie op erates more than 778 super markets in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Vir ginia, Tennessee and Indiana. It also has seven wholesale units. On November 21, 1925, W.M. Davis and his family purchased the Rockmoor Grocery, Inc., for the operation of one 2,800 sq. ft. retail grocery store in Lemon City, then a suburb of Miami, Florida. This was made possible with $10,000 of bor rowed capital. Mr. W. M. was president and Mrs. W. M. looked after the cash and paid the bills. The sons were deep in the business when not in school. As the Davis brothers finish ed their education and the organization developed, things began to move. New stores were opened as fast as accumulated earnings would permit. The business progressed even dur ing the depression in the early 30’s. At W. M. Davis' death in 1934, about 35 retail stores were in operation in the Miami and Tampa areas. By 1939, there were 43 stores. On Dec. 14, 1939, the Davis family purchased the controll ing stock interest in Winn and Lovett Grocery Company from W. R. Lovett, who continued as a director of the company until 1960. The combined an nualized sales volume of the Table Supply and Lovett Stores in 1939 was between $10 and $11 million. On Nov. 25, 1944, operations of the Table Supply and Lovett Stores were formally merged, with Winn & Lovett Grocery Company as the continuing Pa rent Corporation. By that time combined annualized volume amounted to approximately $35 million, with 118 retail stores located throughout Florida and in the southern part of Georgia and division distribution cen ters in Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa, Fla. The company’s Louisville Division was established on July 1, 1945, through acquisi tion of Steiden Stores, operat ing 31 retail units in the me tropolitan area of Louisville, Ky. Operations of the com pany’s Miami and Tampa Divi sions were greatly expanded on Dec. 10, 1949, by the acquisi tion of Margaret Ann Stores and expansion in the area of Alabama prompted the com pany to establish the Montgo mery Division in 1954. On Nov. 14, 1955, Dixie-Home Stores, with headquarters in Greenville, S. C., was merged with Winn & Lovett Grocery Company and the company’s name was changed to Winn- Dixie Stores, Inc. Dixie-Home operated 117 retail stores, principally in North and South Carolina. Their annualized sales volume amounted to approximately $90 million, bringing Winn-Dixie’s total annualized volume to approxi mately $400 million. After the Dixie-Home mer ger, Winn-Dixie’s operations comprised a total of 390 retail stores with divisional distri bution centers at Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa, Fla.; Louis ville, Ky.; Montgomery, Ala.; and Greenville, S. C. The The Ketner-Milner Stores in eastern North Carolina were acquired June 25, 1956, pro viding the nucleus for es tablishment of the Raleigh dis tribution center. The distribu tion center at New Orleans, La., resulted from acquisition of the New Orleans Hill Stores on July 30, 1956. In July, 1962, Winn-Dixie acquired 35 Hill Stores in the Birmingham, Ala. area. The firm now has more than 13,000 full-time employees and 32,000 stockholders. It pushes the sale of home-grown pro ducts whenever possible. During the past several years, three significant de velopments have come about. On Oct. 1, 1965, A. D. Davis turned the presidency over to Mr. Bert L. Thomas and be came chairman of the Execu tive Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board. At the same time the Board also named Joe A. Adams as Execu tive Vice President. In 1967, Winn-Dixie’s annual volume went over the $1 bil lion mark, the first Southern merchandising firm in history to attain this figure. In May, 1967, the company expanded overseas for the first time, purchasing the 11-unit City Meat Markets, Ltd., largest food store chain in the Bahama Islands. Only six weeks later it acquired Freeport Stores, Ltd., operator of a supermarket in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. ♦ * * Indian corn is served to this day—every time they run one of the ancient late- late Westerns. 25-YEAR CLUB—Incoming ‘Old Timers’ who re ceived gold watches Sunday at the Clinton Mills’ Old Timers Banquet axe, front row, left to right: Hobert Phillips, Janie Clark, Roberta Prince, Cloa Dunaway, Sallie Johnson, Earl Braswell, B. B. Stroud, and Daniel Osborne.; back row: Rob ert M. Vance, who maed the presentations, Per ry Parrish, James N. Creswell, Lucille Woody, Marian Knight, Mell Huey, Earl Nelson, J. A. Black, Jr. Oliver Estes was absent when the picture was made. The Clinton Mills Old Timers Club has 227 members who have completed 25 or more years of continuous service.— (Yarbor ough Photo) Plaza Furniture Mart of JOANNA, S. C. jR»z«KxmMsavs<9rMSBKSKa Pre-Holiday Discounts At Your Merry Christmas Store Christmas Gift Suggestions! • A GIFT OF TOURISTER LUGGAGE FOR... SOMEONE SPECIAL! • MUSICAL CENTER RECORD CABINETS Prices $39.95 up • CREDENZAS — SPANISH. COLONIAL Prices $67.95 up • LANE CEDAR CHESTS Prices $59.95 up • TELL CITY ROCKER — Solid Maple Prices $49.50 up • BOOK CASES — Special Purchases Prices $39.95 up • DECORATOR PILLOWS — Perfect Gifts Prices 2.89 • GUN CABINETS — Walnut, Oak, Pecan Prices $71.50 up • LAMPS, PICTURES, MIRRORS, S C O N C E S 25% off • FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL ... A GIFT FROM OUR NEW GIFT DE PARTMENT ... CRYSTAL, ASH TRAYS, CANDLE HOLDERS — MANY OTHER ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM — SHOP AND SAVE! 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