Coca-Cola Becomes Food Lion Speed Street's First Presenting Sponsor

19th Annual Event Makes Minor Changes to Event Footprint

Public Company Information:
NYSE: DEG

Long-time partner, Coca-Cola, has increased its role as presenting sponsor for this year’s Food Lion Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola festival May 23-25, which offers an unprecedented consumer experience filled with entertainment to thousands of fans in Uptown Charlotte. In addition, slight alterations to the layout for the free, three-day event have been made.

Coca-Cola has been a partner since the festival’s inception in 1995 with a significant on-site presence, including pouring rights for the past 19 years and serving as a stage sponsor for the past 16 years. The global leader in soft drinks and beverages will grow its presence this year, becoming the first-ever presenting sponsor for the three-day event.

“Food Lion Speed Street is a great opportunity to interact with our fans on a personal level,” says Heather Hucks, marketing sponsorships manager at Coca-Cola. “As a long-time supporter of the event, we are looking forward to growing our presence with this increased level of participation.”

Food Lion Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola will make slight alterations to its footprint in Charlotte. The most notable changes festival-goers will see is one stage will be home to all six musical performances. Two R&B, country and rock performances will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, on the Coca-Cola stage. Attendees will be able to enjoy the same number of shows as they did in 2012 in one central location.

Additionally, the Food Lion Kids’ Zone will move to a more prominent location at South Tryon Street by the Cultural Campus near Levine Avenue. Families will enjoy activities for all ages, interact with family-friendly sponsors and be able to visit the local cultural museums on the block, including the Mint Museum and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

“As Food Lion Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola approaches its 19th year, the festival continues to focus on family-fun,” said Jay Howard, president of JHE Production Group and promoter and producer of the award-winning event. “The 2013 changes will showcase a variety of activities for Charlotte Motor Speedway fans, local attendees and kids of all ages.”

Food Lion Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola offers live entertainment, access to racing’s brightest stars and interactive displays from sponsors including Food Lion, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet and many more. As a precursor to the Coca-Cola 600 held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and part of the 10 days of racing in May, Food Lion Speed Street will entertain more than 400,000 guests over the course of three days. The festival has been promoted and produced exclusively by JHE Production Group since 1996.

Numerous fan-friendly destinations include:

-Food Lion Interactive Area – Meet some of your favorite drivers and interact with the best Food Lion has to offer in the new location on Tryon Street at Fourth Street.

-Food Lion Kids’ Zone – Located on Tryon Street near the Levine Avenue intersection.

-Coca-Cola Stage – Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Brevard Street and Caldwell Street at the NASCAR Hall of Fame entrance.

-Chevrolet Ride and Drive – Carolina Chevy Dealers will provide an opportunity to test drive several Chevrolet models on Brevard Street next to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The event is free to the public. The festival opens each day at noon ET. For more information please visit the newly redesigned, more user-friendly website at www.600festival.com or follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FoodLionSpeedStreet and Twitter @flspeedstreet.

About Food Lion

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., is a subsidiary of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG) and operates more than 1,100 supermarkets. The company employs approximately 57,000 associates delivering quality products, low prices and service to customers in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.