Food Lion Revamping 105 Norfolk, Va.-Area Stores

Food Lion has revealed that it will remodel 105 stores in the greater Norfolk, Va., market this year. The grocer’s $168 million capital investment will go toward store renovations, lowering prices, expanding the assortment of products, hiring about 5,000 new associates and promoting current employees, as well as more community partnerships through the hunger-relief initiative Food Lion Feeds.

"Food Lion has been nourishing our neighbors in the greater Norfolk market for nearly 40 years, and we are excited to bring our newest shopping experience to this community," said Food Lion President Meg Ham. "With every change, we have kept our customers at the forefront because we want to ensure they can easily find fresh, quality products to nourish their families at affordable prices every day, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop. We’re proud of our history in Hampton Roads and many of the surrounding communities, and we look forward to reintroducing our customers to their renovated stores later this summer."

Each location will remain open during normal operating hours throughout the remodeling process. Revamped locations will be easier to navigate and shop; offer a greater variety and assortment of products that are relevant to customers in each store, including more local, natural, organic and gluten-free items; and feature new registers and improved customer service, the latter thanks to customer-centric training for associates.

Twelve of the stores will also feature walk-in garden coolers designed to keep produce fresher longer, while all of the stores undergoing renovation will have produce departments with more organic options and convenient, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables prepared in-house daily. Further, six stores will receive expanded deli departments offering such items as handmade artisan pizza, a wing bar, premium coffee and a soda station.

To date, the banner has renovated 544 of its more than 1,000 stores over the past four years as part of its ongoing “Easy, Fresh and Affordable...You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day!” strategy. The last round of remodeled locations opened last October in the Richmond, Va., market.

In other Food Lion news, the grocer will reopen next week under its own banner three former Norfolk-area Farm Fresh stores that it purchased from Supervalu.

Based in Salisbury, N.C., Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, and employs more than 63,000 associates. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group.