Upgrades for Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Va., markets

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion said Tuesday that it will invest $40 million to remodel 23 stores in 14 towns and cities that are part of the Charlottesville, Va., and Harrisonburg, Va., communities.

“Food Lion is proud to have been a part of the many towns and cities we serve throughout the Charlottesville/Harrisonburg market for 37 years and we are even more excited to bring new offerings, services and a new look to these markets,” said Food Lion President Meg Ham. “We look forward to making significant investments in our stores, our associates and our communities to offer an enhanced shopping experience. Our mission is to ensure our customers can easily find fresh, quality products to nourish their families at affordable prices every day, delivered with the caring, friendly service they expect from Food Lion every time they shop. We look forward to reintroducing our renovated stores later this summer.”

These investments are part of an ongoing rebranding and remodeling strategy — with the slogan “Easy, Fresh and Affordable… You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day!” — that was launched in 2014. Food Lion said it also expects to hire nearly 400 new associates at these stores as part the effort to enhance the customer experience in the Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Va., markets.

Food Lion said the revamped stores will offer greater variety and a product assortment that is tailored to their communities, with more local, natural, organic and gluten-free items where appropriate, and an expanded assortment of the retailer’s Nature’s Promise brand of beef, pork, and poultry, which is “free from” such unwanted ingredients as artificial additives, preservatives and colors.

Two of the stores — one in Ruckersville, Va. and one in Charlottesville, Va. — will get wal-in produce coolers designed to keep produce fresher for longer. Select stores will get in-store cut fruit and expanded seafood departments. Other planned store enhancements include:

• Hand-battered fried chicken made in store
• Expanded assortments of gluten-free and international specialty goods
• More “grab n go” snack items.
• More premium and ready to drink coffees

Each of the 23 stores will remain open during their normal business hours during the remodeling process. Food Lion says that once these renovations are complete, the chain will have remodeled 80% of its network of more than 1,000 stores across 10 states.