Food Lion completes remodel of nearly 30 Wilmington-area stores

North Carolina-based Food Lion has completed the remodel of close to 30 Wilmington-area stores, the Ahold Delhaize USA banner announced on Monday.

To celebrate, Food Lion is hosting ribbon-cutting events on Wednesday at 24 of the stores, with five more soon to follow.

“Food Lion has been a proud neighbor in the Wilmington community for 40 years,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion, in a statement. “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.”

The $50 million in renovations features an expanded assortment and an easier shopping format which includes self-checkout lanes. Other store upgrades include energy-efficient overhead LED lighting and refrigerated cases with doors.

Working in partnership to help address food insecurity, Food Lion has also contributed $500,000 through its hunger-relief platform, Food Lion Feeds, to support the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington. The investment supports the 3,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, the first commercial kitchen operated by the nonprofit organization.

“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 of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington, in a statement. “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.”

Food Lion is Ahold Delhaize’s Salisbury, North Carolina-based banner, which continues to be the company’s strongest U.S. performer, boasting 40 consecutive quarters of positive sales growth, the Dutch retailer reported.