Food Lion Renovates 93 Stores in Greensboro, NC Area

Food Lion will debut 93 newly renovated stores in the greater Greensboro, N.C., market. The remodels are the result of a $178 million capital investment in the market, which also included lowering prices, hiring associates and donating to local charitable organizations.

“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the greater Greensboro community since 1968, and we're excited to bring these improvements to our 93 stores in the area,” noted Meg Ham, president of the banner. "We've spent the past several months 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 to nourish their families, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop. As Food Lion celebrates our 60th anniversary 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.”

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Aug. 2, the banner will give away $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers.

Among the store improvements are grouping similar products together; new signage to help locate items faster; a more efficient checkout process thanks to new technology; better quality and freshness on items such as produce and meats; a larger variety and assortment of products, including gluten-free, organic, local and clean-label items, tailored to each store; limited-edition wines; a greater variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses; and enhanced customer service through the addition of 1,000-plus associates and the investment of customer-centric training.

In the area of promotions, the stores’ expanded selection of fresh meat and produce is backed by a double-your-money-back guarantee, and the locations will offer weekend deals from Friday to Sunday, as well as three Easy Ways to Save: Hot Sales, consisting of Food Lion's top weekly MVP specials, and the best prices throughout the store, only available with an MVP card; WOW, consisting lower prices on thousands of essential items, offered for longer periods of time; and Low Price, or staple items at affordable prices every day.

Food Lion is also testing a new walk-in garden cooler in the produce section at 16 stores in the region.

“With every change we make, we always have our customers at heart," continued 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 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."

The grocer has donated a mobile food pantry, valued at more than $100,000, or the equivalent of more than 700,000 meals, to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. The vehicle will deliver much-needed food throughout the 18 counties served by the food bank. The donation is part of Food Lion’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to those in need by the end of 2020 through its Food Lion Feeds arm.

The Greensboro-area remodels are part of the grocer’s ongoing Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day strategy. To date, Food Lion has refreshed 473 of its 1,000-plus stores, mainly in North Carolina. Later this year, the company will roll out 71 store remodels in the Richmond, Va., area, and it plans customer-centric enhancements and renovations in its other markets as well.

Aug. 2 is also a busy day for Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers, which is opening seven more Harveys stores in Florida.

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. Food Lion is a company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group.