Food Lion completes 93-store revamp, hires 1,000 associates

SALISBURY, N.C. — Ahold-Delhaize’s Food Lion division is set to unveil a new shopping experience for customers in 93 Greensboro, N.C.-area stores with celebrations on Aug. 2. The company has invested $178 million in remodeling the stores, lowering prices and hiring associates, as well as donating to local community efforts 

 

The company will be giving away $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers at the revamped locations following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. 

 

“We've spent the past several months making significant investments in our stores, customers, associates and communities to create a new grocery shopping experience,” Food Lion president Meg Ham said. “Now, customers can easily find fresh, quality products at affordable prices to nourish their families, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop. As Food Lion celebrates our 60thanniversary this year, we invite everyone to come out and experience the fresh, new changes we've made in order to deliver the products and services our customers expect.”

 

The remodels are part of Food Lion’s “Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day” strategy, which has seen the company remodel 473 of its 1,000 stores, largely in North Carolina. It will be redoing 71 Richmond, Va.-area store later this year. 

 

The newly redone stores feature an enhanced assortment of products across departments, including more local produce and craft beer, as well as natural and organic selections. To support the store revamp, Food Lion has hired more than 1,000 associates in the region and brought customer-centric training to roughly 7,000 associated in the market. 

 

“With every change we make, we always have our customers at heart," Ham said. "That's why we not only invested in our stores, we also invested in promoting great associates and hiring promising new talent. It's also why, as part of our grand re-opening celebrations, we're partnering again with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. to help end hunger in the towns and cities we serve. Giving back to our communities is something we're just as passionate about as serving our customers every day in our stores."

 

Food Lion has donated a mobile food pantry to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C., expanding the reach of the food bank throughout the 18 counties the food bank serves. The donation is part of Food Lion’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to families and people in need by the end of 2020 through its Food Lion Feeds initiative. 

 

“We are beyond grateful for the Food Lion Feeds initiative, a deep and focused partnership that continues to bring critical resources to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and the work we are doing to make our communities healthy and hunger free,” Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Clyde W. Fitzgerald, Jr., said. “This mobile pantry will allow us to work more deeply with neighbors and neighborhoods across the 18-counties we serve to provide increased access to healthy food, nutrition programs and other services.”