Food Lion Wraps Up Norfolk, VA-area Store Makeovers

This week, Food Lion will hold grand-reopening ceremonies for 105 Norfolk, Va.-area stores following a $168 million capital investment, which included hiring 4,000 additional associates and donations to local communities.

"Food Lion has nourished the greater Norfolk community for nearly 40 years, and we're excited to bring these improvements to our 105 local stores," noted Meg Ham, president of Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion, an Ahold Delhaize USA banner. "We've created a new grocery shopping experience through the significant investments in our stores, customers, associates and communities. From our expanded variety and product assortment, newly reorganized stores, new signage to a more efficient checkout experience, every change we've made will  make it easier for our customers to find fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day. And, true to our heritage, we always offer everyday low prices, along with weekly sales and promotions, making it easier for you to nourish your family on a budget. We invite our customers to come and experience the fresh, new changes at your neighborhood Food Lion."

Each store will open to the public at 8 a.m. on Aug. 29, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. As part of the celebration, the first 100 customers in line will get a free tote bag and mystery gift card valued between $10 and $200.

Features of the updated stores include:

• Groupings of similar products, to make it easier to locate items faster;
• Enhanced quality and freshness of products throughout the store;
• Low prices on thousands of items across all departments;
• Expanded variety and assortment across all departments relevant to customers in each store, such as more local produce in the Local Goodness section, a greater assortment of craft beer, limited-reserve wines, and more local, natural, organic and gluten-free items;
• A large selection of fresh produce and meat backed by Food Lion's double-your-money-back guarantee, and a larger offering of Nature's Place beef, salads, fruit and other items; and
• Hand-battered chicken and other convenient and affordable complete meals for families, as well as a wider variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses, which are sliced fresh daily and available for customers to pick up without waiting in line

Twelve of the renovated Norfolk stores also have walk-in garden coolers designed to keep produce fresher longer, while six locations offer larger deli departments with such items as handmade artisan pizza and premium coffee. Additionally, more than 40 stores in the area now include a wing-bar assortment.

“We not only invested in our stores, we also invested in promoting great associates and hiring promising new talent," added Ham. “It's also why, as part of our grand-reopening celebrations, we're partnering with the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank 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 partnership entails donations totaling nearly $200,000 toward the purchase of two mobile pantries to help feed needy families in remote locations. The donations are part of Food Lion’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020 through the Food Lion Feeds initiative.

With the rollout of the upgraded Norfolk supermarkets, Food Lion has remodeled 649 of its 1,030 stores in the past four years as it strives to create a better shopping experience for customers across its entire store base.

Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. The grocer is a company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group. Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 4 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.