Dive Brief:
- Delhaize Group officials showcased the revamp of its supermarket chain, Food Lion, for financial analysts and journalists in Wilmington, NC.
- Some changes were larger, such as creating wider aisles and deeper shelves and implementing faster registers and point of sale. Other lesser changes included the way cakes are decorated or moving peanut butter and jelly closer to the bread section.
- With this comprehensive rebranding, Delhaize also focused on bringing in more in-demand products, such as gluten-free options, seasonal produce, and functional beverages.
Dive Insight:
Delhaize could use some good news for its grocery chains, and this Food Lion revamp may be the ticket to growth. Earlier this year, the company announced it would close all 66 of its Bottom Dollar Food stores and received approval to sell 154 of Delhaize America's stores to Bi-Lo. To offset some of these losses, Delhaize announced its plan to continue the Food Lion revamp in its fourth-quarter 2014 earnings report, and thus far, the company has stuck to the plan. Whether the revamp will result in any significant success for Delhaize remains to be seen.