Bruno's pharmacy to close with change in ownership

TUSCALOOSA | Wednesday is the last day Bruno's customers will have pharmacy services at the McFarland Boulevard supermarket.

After Wednesday prescriptions will be forwarded to Rite Aid stores in the area.

The pharmacies in all of the 57 stores owned by Birmingham-based Southern Family Markets, which are being bought by Belle Foods LLC, will be closed.

Four stores in the Tuscaloosa area — the Food World stores on Bear Creek Road, University Boulevard and McFarland Boulevard East in addition to Bruno's — are part of the acquisition, but Bruno's is the only store in Tuscaloosa with a pharmacy that is being closed.

Jonathan Harris, an official in the marketing department of Belle Foods, which also is based in Birmingham, said Belle is closing the pharmacy because the company is dedicated to food.

"We're focusing on our core business, which is obviously grocery," Harris said. "The changes (customers) will see in the coming weeks, I think they'll be pleased."

Not everyone, however, is happy about the move.

Morris Simon of Brookhaven said that he and his wife, Sherry, have used Bruno's pharmacy for about 30 years.

He said he was shocked to learn that the decision to shut the pharmacy was only made on Thursday, giving employees and customers one week to make arrangements.

"We just learned, like most other people did, that they're changing on the spur of the moment and we're going to have to change all our prescriptions on a moment's notice," said Simon, 71. He said the pharmacy employees at Bruno's have become "like family."

"To me, that's just an example of bottom-line mentality," Simon said, "and that's just incredibly stupid to do that to a staff that's been very attentive to the customers' needs."

According to several media reports, Belle Foods was formed earlier this year solely to acquire the stores from Southern Family Markets. The Associated Press said in February that Belle Foods LLC will take over stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Southern Family Markets operates Food World, Piggly Wiggly, Bruno's and Southern Family Market stores.

Belle Foods said it plans to offer jobs to current grocery store employees and work with unions.

The company was started by industry veteran Bill White, who is president and CEO, and his son, Jeff White, who serves as the administrative officer.

Supermarketnews.com reported in February that Jeff White said the company intends to keep all 57 stores open.

"We plan to operate all 57 stores going forward, with no plans for any closings," he told the website. "Hopefully, we can continue to make the stores profitable and possibly improve that a little bit."

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.