Renovations of 142 supermarkets unveiled

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion on Wednesday officially introduced customers in greater Charlotte, N.C., to 142 renovated stores in the market.

The company said it has made a landmark $215 million capital investment in the market this year, with the money spent on remodeling the stores, lowering prices, hiring hundreds of additional associates and giving back to local communities.

“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the Charlotte community for 60 years,” said Food Lion president Meg Ham. “As we near our 60th anniversary, we spent the year 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, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop. We invite everyone to come out and experience the fresh, new changes we’ve made and let us know what they think.”

Food Lion says the remodeled stores will offer customers:

• An easier shopping experience, due to better grouping of like products, new signage to help them locate items faster, and a more efficient checkout process.
• Lower prices on thousands of items across all departments.
• Improved quality and freshness for products throughout the store, including produce and meats.
• Expanded assortment and item selection across all departments along with more natural, organic and gluten-free items.
• Enhanced customer service, resulting from the promotion and hiring of hundreds of associates throughout the region and the investment in additional customer-centric training for nearly 10,000 associates in the market.

Food Lion celebrated the investment at its Charlotte-area stores Wednesday with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and the giving out of $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers at each location. The retailer also donated a mobile food pantry, valued at more than $100,000, to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, N.C., which serves a 19-county area.

“With every change we make, we always have our customers at heart,” Ham said. “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 Metrolina 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.”