SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion has agreed to acquire four BI-LO stores in the Greater Myrtle Beach, S.C., Florence, S.C., and Columbia, S.C., areas from Southeastern Grocers.

“We are so excited to add these four new locations to our network of nearly 70 stores serving the greater Myrtle Beach, Florence and Columbia areas,” said Food Lion president Meg Ham. “We are part of the fabric of this community. We’ve been here in these towns and cities nourishing our neighbors and customers for nearly 40 years. With the addition of these four new stores, we have an even greater opportunity to serve more customers with fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day with the caring, friendly service they expect from Food Lion.”

Food Lion’s expansion in those communities will also include its Food Lion Feeds hunger relief program. The chain said it is donating 60,000 meals — 15,000 meals for each new store opening — to the two food banks that serve these communities. They are the Lowcountry Food Bank in North Charleston, S.C., and Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia, S.C. Food Lion will also ensure each new store will be assigned a feeding agency partner to receive weekly food donations through the company’s food rescue program.

All four stores will remain open, operating under the BI-LO stores, until the acquisition is complete. The deal is expected to close in late May, pending final approvals, the company said.