SALISBURY, N.C. — Delhaize America here said Monday it plans to convert all of its Bloom stores in North and South Carolina to the Food Lion banner, with the exception of one Bloom store in Mauldin, S.C., that will close.
The 15 Bloom locations in the Charlotte and Greenville, S.C., markets will be converted "as quickly as possible," the company said in a prepared statement.
"We appreciate the loyalty of our Bloom guests; however, we are confident our Food Lion banner will best meet the needs of our customers at these locations," said Tammy DeBoer, vice president of Bloom.
The company said it plans to continue expansion of the Bloom banner in the southeastern Virginia and Washington, D.C., areas, and that "efforts are underway to further strengthen the brand and poise it for continued success in these markets."
Delhaize opened the first Bloom store near Charlotte in 2004, outfitting it with the latest in self-scanning and kiosk technologies and positioning it as a more sophisticated version of its Food Lion banner. It experimented with expanded convenience and prepared-food offerings, using input from Delhaize's European operations.
