The Jacksonville-based parent company of Winn-Dixie, as widely anticipated, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Tuesday to reduce its debt by $500 million.

The company, Southeastern Grocers, already announced earlier this month it seek bankruptcy protection and close 94 under performing stores — including five Tampa Bay Winn-Dixie locations and one Harveys Supermarket.

On Tuesday, the grocery chain made it official in a Delaware courthouse, saying the Tampa Bay locations would close by April 30.

"Today, with the support of our key stakeholders, we are taking the next step in the implementation of our financial restructuring plan," said Southeastern Grocers President Anthony Hucker in a news release.

Previous coverage: In bankruptcy, Winn-Dixie will close six Tampa Bay stores

The company will continue to operate 582 stores. It already had an agreement with 80 percent of its creditors to approve the plan.

It has between 50,000 and 100,00 unsecured creditors. Wells Fargo & Co. is the largest with a claim of $522 million, according to the Delaware filing.

"This pre-packaged, court-supervised financial restructuring process provides for a clear and expedited path to put SEG in the best position to serve our communities and succeed in the competitive retail market in which we do business," Hucker said.

Just eight months ago — and with a lot of fanfare — the struggling Winn-Dixie at 2525 E Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa was turned into a Harveys Supermarket. Now it's slated to close along with five Winn-Dixie stores, four of them in Hillsborough County and one in Pinellas County at St. Pete Beach.

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Despite the planned closures, the company announced last week it's growing its Hispanic banner, Fresco y Más, beyond South Florida by opening two stores in Tampa by April.

"Bankruptcy doesn't always mean the end for a lot of companies," said Tampa bankruptcy lawyer Stephanie Lieb. "It can mean new beginnings… It's an opportunity for positive outcomes, for change."

Southeastern Grocers, which also operates BI-LO sotres, said employees' pay and benefits will not be disrupted.

According to court filings, the grocer has assets in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion and liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion.

New York firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is representing the grocery chain and FTI Consulting Inc. is its restructuring adviser.

The company says it has secured a six-year term loan of $525 million to use as exit financing in the restructuring.

Southeastern Grocers is not the only supermarket chain in need of shake-up during an increasingly competitive market.

A month ago, another regional grocer — Tops Markets LLC — filed for the same kind of protection.

Regional chains are up against consumers using nontraditional means to get their groceries — such as through Amazon and other delivery services.

A growing number of Aldi, Lidl and other deep-discount chains have also pulled shoppers away from regional stores.

Lieb, an attorney for Trenam Law, said Southeastern Grocers' success, or potential downfall, could be dictated by how its vendors respond to the bankruptcy news.

"You could have a lender willing to work with you," she said, "but (it won't matter) if you can't get supplies."

Senior Times Researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Sara DiNatale at sdinatale@tampabay.com. Follow @sara_dinatale.