Bi-Lo stores may be disappearing at a rapid pace, but the South Carolina-born grocery chain was once a thriving brand. Post and Courier Greenville reporter Conor Hughes recounts the rise and slow decline of the supermarket brand.
The name "Bi-Lo" has been disappearing from storefronts across the state, and it's only a matter of time before all of them are gone.
Last year, it was announced the brand is being retired.
But Bi-Lo was once a thriving chain in the Southeast, one that got its start as a locally-owned company in South Carolina's Upstate, known for having a familial atmosphere and decorative fiberglass bulls.
Under the leadership of founder Frank Outlaw, 70 Bi-Lo stores were opened in the Carolinas. Then, under the ownership of a Dutch conglomerate, Bi-Lo entered a period of rapid of growth. At its peak, there were 300-plus stores under the Bi-Lo brand.
But that heyday didn't last.
On this week's podcast, Post and Courier Greenville reporter Conor Hughes recounts the rise and slow decline of the South Carolina-born grocery chain and explains why the brand became wrapped up in the identity of the town where it set up its headquarters.
A former Bi-Lo vice president also shares some of his memories of Bi-Lo's best years and how former employees have stayed in touch.
Listen now for more.
Note: The Bi-Lo distribution center in Mauldin was sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers by Royal Ahold in 2005. In this podcast, that sale was mentioned in the context of events that occurred several years later.