SALISBURY – Today Food Lion will unveil a new, easier shopping experience for customers in 142 stores in the greater Charlotte market.

The company made a landmark $215 million capital investment this year, the second largest in the grocer’s history. The investment includes 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 Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “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.” 

As part of the celebration festivities, the company will give away $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers at Charlotte-area locations, following the 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Food Lion at 123 Mahaley Ave.

A complete list of the remodeled stores, along with the gift card giveaway locations, is available at www.foodlion.com/newsroom.

Among the changes customers will see:

• Fully remodeled stores that provide an easier place to shop for customers by grouping like products, installing new signage to help locate items faster, as well as 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, and
• Enhanced customer service achieved by promoting and hiring hundreds of associates throughout the region and investing in additional customer-centric training for nearly 10,000 associates in the market.

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

Food Lion Feeds donates mobile food pantry

Consistent with Food Lion’s focus on eliminating hunger in its local communities through Food Lion Feeds, the grocer has donated a mobile food pantry, valued at over $100,000, or the equivalent of more than 1 million meals, to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

The innovative vehicle will bring food to places where there is a need throughout the 19 counties served by the food bank, from schools, to disaster locations, to communities without access to fresh, healthy food.

“Food Lion has been a tremendous partner for our food bank, and without their support, we would not be able to serve the thousands of clients we feed each year,” said Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. “We’re very excited about this mobile pantry, which will enable our agency to expand our school feeding programs as well as deliver food to areas in Charlotte traditionally underserved by feeding agencies. We can always count on Food Lion to meet our needs to help fight hunger. Their associates are extremely passionate and we appreciate all they do, whether it’s daily donations from their stores, volunteering at various events or investing in this important effort.”

The mobile pantry donation is part of the grocer’s commitment to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020. Earlier this year, the grocer announced a commitment of $1.5 million to build a new warehouse at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

The new facility will provide more space to help the food bank broaden its already robust work in the Charlotte area and will increase access to healthier, fresher food for families in need.

New store features for customers

Food Lion’s remodeled stores include new features that make shopping and saving easier, and reflect the grocer’s “Easy, Fresh and Affordable” strategy.

Food Lion expanded its product selection in stores by adding an abundant selection of fresh meat and produce backed by Food Lion’s double-your-money-back guarantee, increasing gluten-free items, growing its selection of Nature’s Place beef, pork, poultry, salads and bakery items, free from unwanted ingredients and unveiling a new Taste of Inspirations premium line of deli meats and cheeses.

Food Lion has also added easy and affordable meals for families, including weekend deals from Friday to Sunday and hot meals with sides available seven days a week. The grocer now has a wider variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses, which are sliced fresh daily and available for customers to pick up without waiting in line.

Food Lion made savings easier with lower prices, improved signage and its three Easy Ways to Save:

• Hot Sale: Food Lion’s top weekly MVP specials, and the best prices throughout the store, only available with an MVP card.
• WOW: Lower prices on thousands of items that matter most to our customers, offered for longer periods of time.
• Low Price: Essential items priced affordably every day.

Knowing customers want to complete their shopping quickly, Food Lion made checkout faster with improved technology and larger display screens and added associates throughout the store to help meet customers’ needs.

Food Lion is also testing a new, walk-in garden cooler in its produce section in 20 area stores. A list of stores is available at www.foodlion.com/newsroom.

The Charlotte-area stores received remodels as part of the grocer’s “Easy, Fresh and Affordable … You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day” strategy. Food Lion will continue to make customer-centric enhancements across all stores. In addition, the company will remodel additional stores over the next several years.