Food Lion Buying 4 SC Bi-Lo Stores

Food Lion has entered into a deal to acquire four Bi-Lo stores in South Carolina from Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. The stores are located in Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Florence and Columbia. 

"We are so excited to add these four new locations to our network of nearly 70 stores serving the greater Myrtle Beach, Florence and Columbia areas,” noted Food Lion President Meg Ham. “We are part of the fabric of this community. We’ve been here in these towns and cities nourishing our neighbors and customers for nearly 40 years. With the addition of these four new stores, we have an even greater opportunity to serve more customers with fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day with the caring, friendly service they expect from Food Lion.”

All four locations will remain open under the Bi-Lo banner until the transaction wraps up late next month, pending final approvals.

To mark the acquisition, Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion is donating 60,000 meals, equating to 15,000 meals for each store, to the two food banks serving the local communities: Lowcountry Food Bank, in North Charleston, S.C., and Harvest Hope Food Bank, in Columbia, S.C. Each store will also be paired with a feeding agency partner that will receive weekly food donations through the company's food rescue program.

A company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group, Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates.