Food Lion has announced it will be acquiring 62 BI-LO/Harvey’s Supermarket stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia from Southeastern Grocers. The brand also expects to hire more than 4,650 associates to serve customers at these stores. The specific stores that have been acquired can be seen here.
“We are so excited to add these new locations to our more than 630 stores across Georgia and the Carolinas,” said Food Lion President Meg Ham in a Food Lion press release. “We’ve been serving customers in these larger regions for almost 60 years. We’re thrilled to add these locations and serve even more towns and cities across these three states with fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day with the caring, friendly service customers expect from their local Food Lion.”
These stores will remain as BI-LO and Harvey’s Supermarket until the transaction has been completed, which, according to the press release, is expected to be over a staggered period from January to April 2021, pending regulatory approval and customary closing requirements. These stores are planned to all operate under the Food Lion branding.
“Caring for families and communities is at the heart of our brand. We believe no one should have to choose between dinner and rent and gas and groceries,” Ham said in the same news release. “That’s why Food Lion recently announced a goal of providing 1 billion more meals through our hunger-relief platform, Food Lion Feeds, to feed our neighbors in need. As part of that commitment to the most vulnerable in our communities, these new stores will also be paired with local food bank partners. Caring is who we are and what we do at Food Lion.”
Food Lion has also worked to keep its customers and staff safe during the pandemic while also making sure they get the items they need during the crisis.
“We have taken careful measures to ensure our stores are clean and allow for the practice of social distancing,” Ham said in a different statement on the company’s website in March. “Beginning last week, we started installing plexiglass panels at our registers and pharmacy counters, offering a protective barrier between our associates and customers. This work will be implemented across all 1,000+ Food Lion stores in the coming days. In an abundance of caution, our associates will also have face shields available and pharmacists will have masks to wear while giving immunizations.”