Food Lion Unveils New, Improved Shopping Experience with $127 Million Investment in 87 Stores Across 6 States

Retailer Hires More Than 1,800 New Associates in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia

SALISBURY, N.C., Nov. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Lion has completed remodeling 87 stores across Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, offering neighbors an expanded variety of new products and services and an easier shopping experience, all at the same everyday low prices. The list of 87 remodeled stores can be found here.

“We’re excited to welcome our neighbors in these towns and cities into their fresh, new Food Lion," said Food Lion President Meg Ham. "Our associates can’t wait to show customers their newly remodeled store and have them experience the expanded variety and assortment of new products and services. All these changes were made with our neighbors in mind so they can nourish their families affordably and make life a little easier.”

To help celebrate the completion of the remodels, each store will offer fun and exciting random giveaways through the next week, ranging from reusable shopping bags to gift cards.

Among the changes customers will experience:

• Expanded variety and assortment across all departments relevant to our customers in each store, including more locally sourced items.
• More natural, gluten-free and organic items, including a larger selection of Nature’s Promise beef, pork, poultry, dairy, breakfast and children’s foods and other items. Nature’s Promise is Food Lion’s brand of affordable, wholesome and organic products made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors.
• An expanded variety of local craft beer and limited reserve wines.
• A greater selection of easy and affordable meals for families and 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.
• An abundant selection of fresh produce and meat backed by Food Lion's double-your-money-back guarantee.
• A more efficient checkout process, making it easier to get in, out, and on your way
• New signage and groupings of like products, to make it easier to locate items faster.

By the end of this year, 23 of these remodeled stores will offer Food Lion To Go, Food Lion’s grocery pickup service. With the click of a button, Food Lion To Go allows customers to experience the same low prices and fresh food items while shopping online as they would in the store. Home delivery is also available in select areas which allows neighbors to have their Food Lion groceries delivered direct to their doorstep. Customers can visit shop.foodlion.com or the Food Lion To Go app to confirm availability and place orders.

Also, consistent with Food Lion's focus on fighting hunger in its local communities through Food Lion Feeds, its hunger-relief initiative, the retailer donated $145,000 to local Feeding America® member food bank partners serving these communities to help meet unprecedented demand, including:

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN) -- $55,000
• Chattanooga Food Bank (Chattanooga, TN) -- $30,000
• America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia (Savannah, GA) -- $30,000
• Golden Harvest Food Bank (Augusta, GA) -- $30,000
• MANNA Food Bank (Asheville, NC) -- $30,000

“Our associates care deeply about nourishing their neighbors, and far too many of our neighbors are forced to make difficult choices between things like gas and groceries or dinner and rent,” Ham added. “Through Food Lion Feeds, we’re committed to eliminating those difficult choices many in our communities face. We’re proud to work with dedicated community partners every day that share our commitment to support our food-insecure neighbors in the towns and cities we serve.”

In addition to the significant donations to the five food bank partners serving these communities, each of these 87 newly remodeled stores is making a one-time donation of $500 to a feeding agency nearby. They will also receive regular food donations through Food Lion’s pioneering food rescue program, in which every Food Lion store donates food safe for human consumption to a local feeding agency before the food spoils. This is in addition to ongoing support these local organizations have received from Food Lion Feeds through other product, monetary, equipment and volunteer donations. A full list of organizations receiving these monetary and food donations can be found here.

Each of these 87 stores now recycles organic waste products, reflective of Food Lion’s commitment to sustainability. Additionally, the stores have received new recycling containers and associates have received additional training on sustainability efforts, all of which will ultimately lead to reduced waste being sent to area landfills. Due to energy-efficient equipment, technologies and procedures, 73 of these stores have received the ENERGY STAR certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. Food Lion is the only retailer in the country to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award 20 consecutive years as a result of its organizational commitment to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 800 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com or job applicants may visit www.foodlion.com/careers.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc8c4100-bf8f-4b11-9af1-8e4a8d3a39dd