With a produce cooler, more grab-and-go items and a gluten-free section, the Food Lion at South Park shopping center is one of 93 recently remodeled Food Lions in the Triad.
“I say we’re re-introducing ourselves,” Meg Ham, Food Lion’s president, said Monday at the store.
The grocery chain has made a $178 million capital investment in the Triad this year.
In addition to remodeling its Triad stores, Food Lion said it has lowered prices and hired more than 1,000 additional associates in the region.
During a press conference at the Food Lion at 3197 Peters Creek Parkway, Ham spoke of Food Lion’s long history in the community, saying it has been in North Carolina since 1957 and started in the Triad in 1968.
She said company officials are excited about Food Lion’s significant investment in its stores and its strategy of offering new products, as well as retraining and deepening the training of its employees “to offer an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience.”
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“Customers who have been here have seen the transformation as we have gone through it, but new customers who haven’t been in for a while will see a significant difference in the offerings that we have and in the brightness of the stores,” Ham said.
She added that the produce area, for example, showcases different ways of merchandising products — “cold and fresh.” The temperature in the produce coolers is set at a “comfortable” 58 degrees, a store spokesman said.
Customers will see a variety of changes in the fully remodeled stores, including the grouping of like products, new signs to help them find items fast and a more efficient checkout process.
The chain has added more produce, craft beers, and natural and organic selections.
Along with a dedicated gluten-free area and a section for products from North Carolina, Food Lion has grown its selection of Nature’s Place beef, pork, poultry, salads, fruit and bakery items.
Food Lion says on its website that Nature’s Place products are “free from 100-plus artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and additives.”
The chain also has a wider variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses, which are sliced daily and available for pickup.
Technology has been upgraded in the checkout area. There are large display screens and what is called an “extend-a-belt” for customers with large orders. There are also more associates throughout the store to assist customers.
Food Lion is testing the “walk-in garden” coolers in its produce section in 16 area stores.
Second Harvest
mobile pantry
At the press conference, Food Lion donated a $100,000 mobile food pantry to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina.
Clyde W. Fitzgerald Jr., the chief executive of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, said the mobile pantry is a dream come true.
“It will allow us to do things that we haven’t been able to do before,” Fitzgerald said. “This is vitally important to all that we serve.”
He said in a statement that the mobile pantry will provide increased access to healthy food, nutrition programs and other services in the 18 counties it serves.
Unveilings this week
Food Lion, which is based in Salisbury, will launch a new mobile app today aimed at making grocery shopping easier for its customers. Features include a digital MVP card, coupons, a recipe finder for meal planning and digital shopping lists. Using the shopping list feature, customers can view items by aisle in their preferred stores.
On Wednesday, starting at 8 a.m., Food Lion will have an official community unveiling at its Triad locations and will offer giveaways of $10 gift cards and thermal tote bags to the first 100 customers.
In Forsyth County, Food Lion has remodeled 10 stores in Winston-Salem, three in Kernersville, two in Clemmons and one each in Lewisville, Pfafftown, Rural Hall and Walkertown. In addition to the store on Peters Creek Parkway, two other Food Lions in the county now have produce coolers. They are at 617 N. Main St. in Kernersville and 4615 Yadkinville Road in Pfafftown.
In the Triad — Food Lion’s fifth market to get the remodels — construction started on stores in early October 2016.
With the completion of its Triad market, Food Lion has remodeled 473 of its 1,000 stores, mostly in North Carolina. The chain said it plans to “continue to make customer-centric enhancements across all stores and remodel additional stores in other markets.”
Competition and customers
Food Lion’s remodels in the Triad are being completed at a time when grocery store competition is heating up in Forsyth County. Lidl is expanding into the county, and Aldi is doing major remodels to its stores. Lowes Foods recently remodeled its store in Clemmons and just opened a store in Kernersville.
“I think competition is a good thing,” Ham said. “I think it’s good for us to keep us sharp and to have us be able to be very clear of where we can create our own distinction inside the marketplace. It certainly has been a very busy market competitively. We have also been very busy here and are excited to have our customers come experience us differently.”
Lisa Koontz, the manager of the Food Lion on Peters Creek Parkway, said she has been getting a lot of good feedback from customers.
“They are noticing the changes, the front-end services and the fast and friendly checkout,” Koontz said.
Customers Mary Lee, Shelby Ward and Sid Cullingham, all of Winston-Salem, said Monday they love the changes in the Peters Creek Parkway store.
The produce cooler is Lee’s favorite addition.
“I think the food stays fresh,” Lee said. “I’ve been in there, and it’s cold but not too cold. Food Lion has made a big improvement.”
Ward said she thinks the store is more organized than it was before the changes and likes the produce cooler.
“It’s nice,” she said.
Cullingham said he shops regularly in the store.
“It’s more compact, and things are easier to find,” Cullingham said of the remodel.