SALISBURY, N.C. — Bottom Dollar Food, a unit of Delhaize America, will open 14 limited-assortment discount grocery stores in the Pittsburgh area and Youngstown, Ohio. Most of the locations will make their debut in early 2012.

Bottom Dollar Food, a unit of Delhaize America, will open 14 limited-assortment discount grocery stores in the Pittsburgh area and Youngstown, Ohio. Most of the locations will make their debut in early 2012.

"We look forward to serving the greater Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio, communities by providing consumers with unbelievably low prices on groceries," says president Meg Ham. "Customers will find Bottom Dollar Food unique because we carry private brands and the national brands that matter most, and offer a meaningful, efficient assortment of fresh produce, meat and other products. Additionally, we provide our customers an energetic and lighthearted shopping experience."

The openings represent the latest stage in Delhaize’s aggressive rollout of the Bottom Dollar Food banner. The format was created by Food Lion LLC and launched in September 2005. In early 2010 the chain was established as a separate operating unit of Delhaize, and Ham was appointed president.

That change underlined the importance and potential of the chain, which is currently Delhaize’s primary focus of expansion. The store count has grown from 28 in early 2010 to 47, with locations in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first Bottom Dollar Food outlets opened in Pennsylvania last October.

The planned openings encompass three locations in Youngstown and 11 in the greater Pittsburgh market.

Although Bottom Dollar is a limited-assortment format, it offers far more SKUs and a higher proportion of best-selling national brands than such rivals as Aldi Group and Supervalu Inc.’s Save-A-Lot chain.