SUNBURY, Pa. - Weis Markets on Tuesday announced plans to convert 38 Food Lion supermarket locations to Weis Markets stores. The company has completed the purchase of these locations operating in the states of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, and plans to complete the conversion process by the end of October.
"Once the conversions are completed over the next two months, we will have nearly doubled our Maryland store count and expanded into Virginia and Delaware," said Kurt Schertle, Weis Markets COO. "Our goal is to build on our advantages as a locally focused retailer that offers a strong combination of quality, value and service. As part of this commitment, we plan to expand variety in every department."
This week, Weis Markets will convert Food Lion units in Cumberland, Frostburg, Owings Mill, Eldersburg and Reisterstown, Maryland and will reopen them on Friday, Sept. 16. In the following week, it will convert Food Lion units in Columbia, Elkridge, Gaithersburg (2) and Mitchellville and with plans to reopen them on Friday, Sept. 23.
The newly converted stores will offer a variety of local products in addition to the more than 3,000 Weis brand products, which offer brand name quality at an affordable price. Weis Markets has a long-standing history with local farmers and will continue to partner with local growers to provide shoppers with fresh and affordable food, including a wide selection of organic produce, baked goods, quality meats and fresh dairy items.
This is the company's second major acquisition in 2016. In August, it completed the conversion of five Mars Super Markets in Baltimore County, Maryland. Once the deals are complete, Weis Markets will have increased the number of its operating stores by more than 25% and will operate 204 stores in seven states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia.
Weis Markets plans to close and reopen each location quickly and efficiently to ensure that customers are faced with little inconvenience. This process is expected to take less than a week for each location. The following is a complete list of former Food Lion store locations Weis Markets intends to convert this fall.