Food Lion Remodeling 92 SC Stores

As part of its ongoing "Easy, Fresh and Affordable ... You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day!" store refresh strategy, Food Lion has revealed that it will remodel 92 stores in the greater Myrtle Beach, Florence, Columbia and Charleston, S.C., markets in 2019. The $158 million capital investment will not only go toward overhauling the stores, but also toward lowering prices, and expanding the assortment of products available at each store, including more local, natural, organic and gluten-free items.

Food Lion is also expecting to hire almost 2,000 new associates at these stores to boost the customer experience.

"Food Lion is proud to have been a part of the many towns and cities we serve throughout South Carolina for 43 years, and we are even more excited to bring exciting new offerings, services and a new look to these markets," noted Food Lion President Meg Ham. "We look forward to making significant investments in our stores, our associates and our communities to offer a new grocery shopping experience. Our mission is to ensure our customers can easily find fresh, quality products to nourish their families at affordable prices every day, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop. We look forward to reintroducing our renovated stores later this summer."

The easier-to-navigate and -shop stores will also offer enhanced deli/bakery service and better customer service, the latter as a result of new customer-centric training for associates at every store.

Additional enhancements that will be featured include walk-in produce coolers designed to keep produce fresher longer, at stores in Andrews, Columbia, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown and Ravenel, and store-made hand-battered fried chicken in the deli department.

The stores will remain open during normal operating hours throughout the remodel process. When this current phase of remodels is complete, Food Lion will have renovated 80 percent of its network of stores.

Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 southeastern and mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. Its parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group, is No. 4 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.