The Florida Grocery Store Chain That's Suddenly Closing All Locations

After more than 80 years in business, Hitchcock's Markets is shutting down all 10 of its stores in North Central Florida.

Managers and employees of Hitchcock's Markets told Main Street Daily News in October 2025 that the chain's stores were being sold off following the death of its owner, Carlos Alvarez, in 2024. Aside from the Alvarez family's desire to downsize the company, vendors such as Coca-Cola stopped delivering to the chain due to unpaid bills, Main Street added. Hitchcock's Market website was not functioning as of October 27, 2025. However, its Facebook page thanked customers for their loyal support as it announced a storewide 75% discount on all items remaining at its Alachua and Keystone Heights stores.

Founded in 1945, Hitchcock's Markets was initially focused on serving Alachua, a community that borders the college town of Gainesville. But that changed in 1979 when founder Bob Hitchcock passed the reins over to his son Alan, who then proceeded to open additional stores in nearby towns. Prior to being sold to Haug Enterprises in 2008, Hitchcock's had 12 locations, collected $150 million a year in revenue, and 850 employees, per Main Street Daily News. Haug then sold the chain to Carlos Alvarez in 2019.

While the store was under the Hitchcock family's ownership, selling premier food items was a top priority. That was especially true for its meat, since Bob Hitchcock was a butcher. "[We had] the most outstanding meat departments, a deli that served fried chicken second to none, and a bakery that had fresh, hot donuts every morning, accompanied by fresh produce supplied by many local farmers," Alan told Main Street Daily News.

Those standards may have dropped by the wayside, though. Elizabeth Lucas-Young complained on Facebook that the "quality of everything had really gone downhill" in the last four years, while other customers complained about expired food products and bad meat. One Facebook user even posted an image of a snake crawling on food items at a Hitchcock's store.

Yet several customers still lamented the loss of Hitchcock's, with many telling local media, or posting on Facebook, that they'll miss its fried chicken, fresh donuts, and food items cultivated at nearby Florida farms. Undoubtedly, many loyal Hitchcock's customers will have to take their money-saving grocery shopping strategies elsewhere.

At least four of Hitchcock's 10 stores were officially sold to other supermarkets. According to Main Street Daily News, its location in Newberry was bought by the New York-based chain Bravo Supermarkets, while Hitchcock's three stores in Alachua, Keystone Heights, and Williston were acquired by Winn-Dixie in October 2025.

Indeed, Hitchcock's three stores are part of Winn-Dixie's comeback story. Winn-Dixie was the main brand of Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers which owned hundreds of stores in the Southeast U.S. But then, in 2024, it was acquired by Aldi, a popular grocery chain that's opening more than 200 new stores across the U.S. But less than a year later, Southeastern Grocer CEO Anthony Hucker bought back his 100-year company, along with 130 grocery stores and 140 liquor stores in Florida and other southern states, with the help of private investors. Now rebranded as The Winn-Dixie Company, Hucker told the Jacksonville Business Journal that acquiring three of Hitchcock's stores is an integral part of its Florida First strategy. "These stores represent exactly the kind of opportunity we're looking for: strong local roots, loyal customers and a deep sense of community," Hucker said.

Yet Hitchcock employees are still unclear if they will be retained by Winn-Dixie at a time when President Donald Trump's tariffs continue impacting the job market. "I'm worried about it a little bit. They said that we might keep our jobs, but we might not," store employee Dylan Saley told WCJB.