Food Lion Wraps Up Charlotte Remodels

Food Lion is unveiling an enhanced shopping experience for customers at 142 stores in the greater Charlotte, N.C., market, courtesy of a $215 million capital investment -- its second-largest ever -- in remodeling the stores, lowering prices, hiring new employees and donating to local communities.

“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the Charlotte community for 60 years," said Meg Ham, president of Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion. "As we near our 60th anniversary, we spent the year making significant investments in our stores, customers, associates and communities to create a new grocery shopping experience. Now, customers can easily find fresh, quality products at affordable prices, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop." Ham extended an invitation to area shoppers to "experience the fresh, new changes we've made and let us know what they think.”

To celebrate the completion of the cap-ex project on Oct. 12, Food Lion is giving away $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers at Charlotte-area locations, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Changes to the stores include grouping like products, installing new signage to help locate items faster and a more efficient checkout process; lower prices on thousands of items across all departments; improved quality and freshness of products, including produce, meats; expanded assortment and item selection, along with more natural, organic and gluten-free items, and the investment in further customer-centric training for nearly 10,000 associates.

Food Lion has also added easy and affordable meals for families, including weekend deals from Friday to Sunday and hot meals with sides available every day. The grocer now offers a wider variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses.

Additionally, as part of the remodels, Food Lion is testing a new walk-in garden cooler in its produce section at 20 area stores.

The Charlotte-area stores were renovated in accordance with the grocer’s ongoing “Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day” strategy.

“With every change we make, we always have our customers at heart," added Ham. "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 Metrolina 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."

Through its Food Lion Feeds arm, the grocer has donated a mobile food pantry, valued at more than $100,000, or the equivalent of more than 1 million meals, to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. The vehicle will bring food to places where there’s need throughout the 19 counties served by the food bank, including schools, disaster locations, and communities lacking access to fresh, healthy food. The mobile pantry donation is part of the grocer’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to needy people and families by the end of 2020. Earlier this year, the grocer committed $1.5 million toward the construction of a new warehouse at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

A company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Amsterdam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group, Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, and employs more than 65,000 associates.