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Food Lion's $110M Richmond Investment Upgrades 71 Stores
New features aim to improve in-store experience with products, service
GHQ Staff
January 1, 2018
3 Min Read
In a bid to remain as competitive as possible in the hotbed Richmond, Va., market, Food Lion has completed its $110 million capital investment for its 71 area stores, which includes remodeling, lowering prices, hiring hundreds of additional associates and giving back to local communities.
"We've spent the past several months making significant investments in our stores, customers, associates and communities to create a new grocery shopping experience,” says Meg Ham, president of Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion. “Now, customers can easily find fresh, quality products at affordable prices to nourish their families, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop.”
As part of the retailer’s grand re-opening events on Oct. 11, Food Lion will give away $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers at each of its greater Richmond-area locations following the 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cuttings.
Among the changes customers will see:
Fully remodeled stores, grouped with like products.
New signage to help shoppers locate items faster.
More efficient checkout processes.
Improved quality and freshness for products throughout the store, including produce and meat.
Lower prices on thousands of items across all departments.
Expanded variety and assortment across all departments relevant to our customers in each store, such as more local, natural and organic selections and craft beers.
Enhanced customer service as a result of hiring more than 1,000 associates throughout the region and investing in additional customer-centric training for nearly 4,000 associates in the market.
“With every change we make, we always have our customers at heart," adds 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 with FeedMore and their affiliated local feeding agencies 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."
New Store Features
Food Lion's remodeled Richmond-area stores include new features that make shopping and saving easier, and reflect the grocer's "Easy, Fresh and Affordable… You Can Count On Food Lion Every Day!" marketing strategy.
Food Lion expanded its product selection in stores by adding an abundant selection of fresh produce and meat backed by Food Lion's double-your-money-back guarantee, increasing gluten-free and organic items and growing its selection of Nature's Place beef, pork, poultry, salads, fruit and bakery items, free from unwanted ingredients.
In addition, customers can buy more local products from the grocer's "local goodness" section and have an expanded variety of craft beers, limited reserve wines and much more.
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.
Easier 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 while adding 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 14 area stores, locations for which can be found HERE.
With the completion of the Richmond cap-ex campaign, Food Lion has remodeled 544 of its 1,000 stores in the last three years, and says it will continue to make customer-centric enhancements across all stores and remodel additional stores in other markets.
A company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Zaandam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group, Food Lion operates more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates.
