The Food Lion Corp. opened a grocery store on the southeast side of Fayetteville and two in Newnan less than two years ago; now they will be closing in the next month.
Delhaize America, parent company of Food Lion grocery stores, announced Jan. 11 that the under-performing stores will be among 29 in Georgia that will be closing in 30 days or less.
“Today’s actions will continue to solidify our U.S. operations and enable our company to focus on our successful brand strategy repositioning at Food Lion and the expansion of Bottom Dollar Food in new markets,” said Delhaize America CEO Ron Hodge in a Jan. 11 statement. “While these were difficult decisions given the impact on our associates, customers and communities, we believe these actions will enable us to better serve our customers in our markets with high density, while positioning the company for future growth.”
The Citizen learned of a potential effort by shoppers at the Fayetteville store to initiate a petition in hopes of keeping the store open. Food Lion External Communications Director Christy Phillips-Brown on Monday said the company appreciated customers’ efforts to keep the store open, adding that the company was moving ahead with the decision to close the stores announced on Jan. 11.
Hodge added that closure of a total of 113 under-performing stores in nine states will affect 4,900 employees.
“Food Lion is focused on repositioning our business for future growth. By closing underperforming stores, we will continue to position Food Lion for success, especially in light of our brand strategy results,” said Cathy Green Burns, president of Food Lion.
Burns said the company’s brand strategy that centers on high density or high market share is expected to lead to the opening of 600-700 additional stores in the future.
Other metro Atlanta Food Lion stores slated for closure in the next month include those in Jonesboro, College Park, Douglasville, Marietta, Conyers and Lawrenceville.
Delhaize operates 1,600 stores in 16 states. The company’s holdings include Food Lion, Bottom Dollar, Bloom, Harveys, Hannaford Supermarkets, Reid’s and Sweetbay stores. Delhaize employs 107,000 full and part-time employees.
