Exhibit 99.1


FOR IMMEDIATE  RELEASE

              JITNEY-JUNGLE COMPLETES TENDER OFFER FOR DELCHAMPS 
  

    Jackson, Mississippi, September 12, 1997.  Jitney-Jungle Stores of America,
Inc. announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta Acquisition
Corporation, has completed its $30 per share cash tender offer for all
outstanding shares of Delchamps, Inc. (NASDAQ NMS:DLCH). The offer expired, as
scheduled, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Friday, September 12, 1997. 

    As of the termination of the offer, based on a preliminary count from the
depositary for the offer, approximately 5,321,112 shares of Delchamps' common
stock had been tendered and accepted for payment. These tendered shares
represent approximately 74% of Delchamps' outstanding shares. Jitney-Jungle and
Delchamps will now proceed to complete a merger pursuant to which Jitney-Jungle
will acquire the remaining shares of Delchamps for $30 per share in cash. The
merger is expected to be completed later this year.

    Michael E. Julian, Jitney-Jungle's President and Chief Executive Officer,
said: "We are very pleased that the tender offer has been successfully completed
and we look forward to building on the great strengths of these two leading
supermarket franchises in the Southeast." 

    


                                   #  #  #

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc.:
Michael E. Julian, President and Chief Executive Officer
(601) 346-2116

MacKenzie Partners, Inc.:
Grace M. Protos
(212) 929-5500





                                           -4-