With a capital investment exceeding $50 million, Food Lion is unveiling remodeled stores that feature a new, easier shopping experience for customers in Wilmington, North Carolina.
On May 10, Food Lion will hold ribbon-cutting events in the Wilmington area at 24 stores, with five more to follow soon. The investment includes remodeling the stores, providing e-commerce through pickup and/or home delivery options and giving back to local communities.
“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the Wilmington community for 40 years,” said Meg Ham, president.
“From a brand-new look and feel to more convenient grab-and-go items to make any meal easier, each store has made big changes with our customers in mind. We remain committed to keeping our prices low every day, offering great promotions and other opportunities to save. We are excited for our neighbors to experience the enhancements we have made just for them.”
Inspired by feedback from customers and employees, all stores will feature self-checkout lanes and new décor.
Store upgrades include an extensive product assortment with a focus on meal solutions that are ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook or ready-to-heat. Customers will also have more healthy options and a large selection of organic, gluten-free and plant-based items to choose from including Nature’s Promise, Food Lion’s affordable brand of wholesome and organic products made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors.
Food Lion’s enhanced stores feature energy-efficient overhead LED lighting and refrigerated cases with doors. The solutions impart ambiance, enhance fresh product assortment and reduce energy costs, helping reduce Food Lion’s environmental footprint.
Through its “Local Goodness” program, Food Lion stores offer a variety of regional products sourced from local growers or manufacturers, serving customers in a more meaningful way with products that are the heart and soul of the community. A list of additional North Carolina-based suppliers that may be featured in the store can be found online.
Working in partnership to help address food insecurity, Food Lion has also contributed $500,000 through Food Lion Feeds to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington. The investment supports the 3,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, the first commercial kitchen operated by the nonprofit.
“With the cost of so many of the things we buy every day increasing, we need the support from our retail donors. Food Lion has been an incredible partner to food banks across their footprint,” said Beth Gaglione, branch director for the food bank.
“The Food Bank has been able to build a state-of-the-art new facility in Wilmington with an amazing commercial kitchen thanks to Food Lion Feeds. Now we need to fill it with nutritious, healthy food to meet the need of our community. We know we can count on our friends at Food Lion.”
In addition to expanded meal production, the community kitchen will offer an opportunity for culinary arts workforce development, providing qualified individuals from low-to-moderate-income families to gain sought-after skills and find immediate job opportunities, thereby stabilizing their households and working to achieve self-sufficiency.
Food Lion Feeds also provided another $32,500 to support 13 partner feeding agencies with the purchase of refrigerators and freezers.
