SALISBURY, N.C. — Bottom Dollar, Delhaize’s nascent discount chain, said Thursday that it would open 21 stores in the greater Philadelphia market.
The new stores would join a field of established competitors already suffering from the economy and recent arrivals of Wal-Mart and Wegmans. For Delhaize, the stores would also begin to bridge the gap between its Food Lion territory in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast and its New England-based Hannaford chain. The company earlier this year began to combine operations of all of its banners. The stores would be Delhaize’s first in Philadelphia.
Christy Phillips-Brown, a spokeswoman for Delhaize, told SN that the expansion would account for all of the Bottom Dollar stores it planned to open in 2010. The company, which operated 28 stores at the beginning the year, had previously said it would “nearly double” its locations this year.
Phillips-Brown said she expected 15 to 20 stores would open by year-end, with the first locations opening in the fall.
"Bottom Dollar Food has great potential in the market as we believe it is underserved in the soft-discount grocer arena," said Meg Ham, president of Bottom Dollar Food, said in a statement. “We are very excited to expand Bottom Dollar Food and deliver the best price and value in grocery products to customers.”
