Press Release

Alex Lee, Inc., Purchases Assets of Import Mex Distributors, Inc.

HICKORY, NC (July 17, 2023) – Alex Lee, Inc. (Alex Lee), a family-owned company based in Hickory, NC, has purchased the assets of Import Mex Distributors, Inc. (Import Mex) located in Riviera Beach, Florida.  Import Mex offers an extensive selection of products from Mexico and Central America. The acquisition of Import Mex enables Alex Lee to expand their ethnic offerings and services which are delivered to customers through their subsidiaries, MDI and Souto Foods.  Import Mex will benefit from the additional resources of Alex Lee to accelerate their growth while continuing to provide excellent service to customers.

Import Mex will continue to operate independently as a fully owned subsidiary of Alex Lee.  They will retain all current employees who are eligible, including members of the founding families.  After the closing, the employees of Import Mex will be offered additional benefits, such as healthcare, through Alex Lee.

“Alex Lee is excited to welcome Import Mex to our family of companies,” said Brian George, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Lee.  “Working together, we will accelerate the growth of Import Mex and expand MDI’s ethnic offerings and geography.  Both companies have built their business by focusing on the customer and providing exceptional service.  We will continue to grow and improve our service offerings together.” 

Lorenzo Aedo, Senior added, “Since the beginning, Import Mex has focused on building a strong relationship with customers and vendors, while also caring for and working closely with our employees. We are excited to become a part of the Alex Lee, Inc. family as we all share the same values. Together, we will be able to expand our offerings, improve our service to customers and continue to grow at a fast rate. With Alex Lee, we will also be able to offer expanded benefits for our employees. I look forward to working with the Alex Lee team."

 

About Alex Lee, Inc.

Founded in 1931, Alex Lee is a family-owned and operated company that employs approximately 15,000 people. It serves as the parent company of Merchants Distributors, LLC, which provides full-service wholesale distribution to supermarkets, and Souto Foods, a distributor of authentic Hispanic foods. Alex Lee is also the parent company of Lowes Foods, which includes nearly 85 full-service grocery stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. In addition, Alex Lee, Inc. is the parent company of W. Lee Flowers & Company, which operates approximately 60 IGA and KJ’s Market grocery stores and provides wholesale distribution to supermarkets.  Alex Lee, Inc. is based in Hickory, NC.

For more information, please visit alexlee.com.

 

About Merchants Distributors, LLC

Founded in 1931, Merchants Distributors (MDI) is a privately-owned wholesale grocery distributor headquartered in Hickory, NC. MDI supplies over 600 retail food stores with food and non-food items in NC, SC, GA, TN, VA, AL, WV, OH, FL, PA, MD and KY.  MDI also exports to over 20 countries.  Merchants Distributors, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.  The company has a strong customer focus and offers a variety of services to help their customers succeed.

For more information, please visit mdi.com.

 

About Import Mex Distributors, Inc.

Established in 1986 in Riviera Beach, Florida by the Aedo-Solorazano family, Import Mex is a private company that employs approximately 60 people.  The company has focused on servicing Latino customers by offering high quality Mexican and Central American products and building friendly and professional relationships.  Import Mex distributes across the state of Florida

For more information, please visit importmex.net.