Food Lion Unveils Remodel of Nearly 30 Wilmington-Area Stores; Invests in Local Food Bank to Nourish Neighbors

$50 million renovations support expanded assortment and easier shopping experience to meet customers’ needs

SALISBURY, N.C., May 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With a capital investment exceeding $50 million, Food Lion is unveiling remodeled stores in Wilmington, NC, that feature a new, easier shopping experience for customers. On May 10, Food Lion will hold ribbon-cutting events in the Wilmington area at 24 stores, with five more to follow soon. The investment includes remodeling the stores, providing eCommerce at every store through pickup and/or home delivery options, training and developing associates to provide the best customer experience and giving back to local communities. While renovating and refreshing its look, the redesign reflects Food Lion’s continued commitment to the towns and cities it serves, providing an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience.

“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the Wilmington community for 40 years,” said Meg Ham, President, Food Lion. “From a brand-new look and feel to more convenient grab-and-go items to make any meal easier, each store has made big changes with our customers in mind. We remain committed to keeping our prices low every day, offering great promotions and other opportunities to save. We are excited for our neighbors to experience the enhancements we have made just for them.”

Inspired by feedback from customers and associates, all stores now feature self-checkout lanes and are refreshed with new décor reflecting an enhanced shopping experience.

Two dozen stores will open to the public on May 10, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:45 a.m. Afterward, the first 100 customers in line will receive a mystery gift card valued up to $250, free reusable shopping bag and trunk organizer.

Remodeled stores include new features for easy, fresh and affordable shopping
Store upgrades include an extensive product assortment with a specific focus on a variety of affordable and easy meal solutions that are ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook or ready-to-heat. Customers will also have more healthy options and a large selection of organic, gluten-free and plant-based items to choose from including Nature’s Promise, Food Lion’s affordable brand of wholesome and organic products made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors.

Food Lion’s enhancements also include offering convenience for shoppers with Food Lion To Go grocery pickup or home delivery service. Online orders may be placed on the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app. The convenient service allows customers to place an order with the click of a button while experiencing the same low prices and fresh food items they receive in the store.

Demonstrating care to its neighbors and communities with a commitment to sustainability, Food Lion’s enhanced stores feature energy-efficient overhead LED lighting and refrigerated cases with doors. The modern solutions impart ambiance, enhance fresh product assortment and reduce energy costs, helping reduce Food Lion’s environmental footprint.

Through its Local Goodness program, Food Lion stores offer a wide variety of regional products sourced from local growers or manufacturers, serving customers in a more meaningful way with products that are the heart and soul of the community. A list of additional North Carolina-based suppliers that may be featured in the store can be found online.

Learn more about the hours of operation, specific services each store offers, and the weekly ad flyer with special celebratory pricing for these stores.

Food Lion Feeds supports food banks to diversify capacities and service
Working in partnership to help address food insecurity, Food Lion has also contributed $500,000 through its hunger-relief platform, Food Lion Feeds, to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington. The investment supports the 3,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, the first commercial kitchen operated by the nonprofit organization.

“With the cost of so many of the things we buy every day increasing, we need the support from our retail donors. Food Lion has been an incredible partner to food banks across their footprint,” said Beth Gaglione, Branch Director for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington. “The Food Bank has been able to build a state-of-the-art new facility in Wilmington with an amazing commercial kitchen thanks to Food Lion Feeds. Now we need to fill it with nutritious, healthy food to meet the need of our community. We know we can count on our friends at Food Lion.”

In addition to expanded meal production, the community kitchen will offer an opportunity for culinary arts workforce development, providing qualified individuals from low-to-moderate-income families to gain sought-after skills and find immediate job opportunities, thereby stabilizing their households and working to achieve self-sufficiency. 

Food Lion Feeds also provided another $32,500 to support 13 partner feeding agencies with the purchase of refrigerators and freezers. By investing in this opportunity for agency-related capacity building, Food Lion Feeds is helping to address critical needs in providing food to neighbors facing hunger.

Additionally, each Food Lion store regularly donates unsold, edible food that might otherwise go to waste to local feeding agencies to support neighbors in need throughout the year. Food Lion was the first grocery retailer in the country to establish a food rescue program with Feeding America^®, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, more than 20 years ago. In 2022, the nearly 30 Wilmington-area stores provided approximately 1.9 million pounds through food rescue to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion has helped to provide more than 1 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. For more information on Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to fight hunger, visit foodlion.com/feeds.

About Food Lion
Food Lion is an omnichannel retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors during the moments that matter most. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Through its ‘Count on me’ culture, Food Lion fosters a sense of belonging for all associates, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment that has supported LGBTQ+ equality for nearly two decades. Food Lion is the only company in the country to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 22 consecutive years. It also pioneered a food rescue program to support food-insecure neighbors. Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer has donated more than 1 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/36f8e329-14df-47de-b912-7850480bf20b