Jun 16, 2008 12:00 PM, By ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

By: By ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

LAKELAND, Fla. — The pending acquisition by Publix Super Markets of 49 Albertsons stores in Florida could help rationalize competition within the state, though it's unlikely to make life any easier for Winn-Dixie Stores, industry observers said last week.

Publix, based here, said last week it has agreed to buy the stores from Albertsons LLC, Boise, Idaho, which is owned by a group of investors led by Cerberus Capital Management. The transaction represents the seller's second-largest supermarket divestiture, following the sale last year of all 130 stores in Northern California to Save Mart Supermarkets, Modesto, Calif.

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