State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area
Posted: September 4th, 2018, 6:28 pm
One question I have had about Food Lion in the Washington D.C. suburbs, particularily their stores that used to carry the Bloom name has been their status at present. I am particularily concerned about these stores as they have had minimal updates to their stores since that era began in the mid-2000s, especially with how many changes both Food Lion and the industry have undergone since.
Bloom's decor package, which shows extensive themes of the upscale, concept-friendly direction it conveyed often readjusted to Food Lion standards and removed certain Bloom features (touchscreen kiosks, branding, etc.) is often times noticeable in any such store and happens to be quite specific to said chain with their logo being embedded throughout the store.
While it certainly showed off some wonderful aspects of the time that could be used today in a way, I feel these stores have been due for renovations. The whole interior design is not very dated in appearance, and neither is it enough to hurt the brand however does not fit these stores much anymore. With all these signs, I am not sure whether these stores will receive upgrades soon, stay the same or possibly go on the selling block. ood Lion has not had the most success in this region, (unlike certain western states) they have consistently maintained a presence here since the 1980s and still operate well-rounded stores in the present day.
However, of the suburban markets they are present in, the Washington D.C. area has received little attention to remodels and new store openings since the mid-2000s where they introduced the Bloom/Bottom Dollar format.
In comparison, the Richmond and Norfolk markets are bringing in major remodel sprees as of late; the latter even has managed to take in several stores from SuperValu's Farm Fresh. Likewise in the Carolinas, where Food Lion has had a longtime presence, some concepts have been conducted recently and new acquisitions continue.
Some basic information: In 2012, with the collapse of Bloom, Food Lion closed multiple stores belonging to the aforementioned brand in suburban areas; while in 2016 many exurban Food Lions near Giant-MD/Martins stores were sold to the likes of Weis and Shop 'n Save as Ahold and Delhaize underwent their merger. Food Lions/Giants the inner NoVA counties (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William) as well as some in the inner Maryland suburbs were spared from any divestitures, however some of the two retailers have continued operating in a similar vicinity of each other as other Food Lion stores that were sold off.
I could assume the divested Food Lion stores were chosen in a "domino effect" as one store would be close to an Ahold supermarket and all others within the town would be sold as a result. As for the remaining stores, either I could assume luckily never made it within the divestiture zone, are presently pending action or even might be more profitable to FL.
These stores can still be beneficial to their areas and as an asset of Ahold Delhaize which in turn could warrant remodels. I would not see much of a point in FL continuing to operate here if updates are not planned to their store base. Hopefully some news does come in to these stores so that they can continue to serve their locales.
If you have been around D.C. area Food Lions, what do you see in these stores and when could changes happen? Answers would be appreciated.
Bloom's decor package, which shows extensive themes of the upscale, concept-friendly direction it conveyed often readjusted to Food Lion standards and removed certain Bloom features (touchscreen kiosks, branding, etc.) is often times noticeable in any such store and happens to be quite specific to said chain with their logo being embedded throughout the store.
While it certainly showed off some wonderful aspects of the time that could be used today in a way, I feel these stores have been due for renovations. The whole interior design is not very dated in appearance, and neither is it enough to hurt the brand however does not fit these stores much anymore. With all these signs, I am not sure whether these stores will receive upgrades soon, stay the same or possibly go on the selling block. ood Lion has not had the most success in this region, (unlike certain western states) they have consistently maintained a presence here since the 1980s and still operate well-rounded stores in the present day.
However, of the suburban markets they are present in, the Washington D.C. area has received little attention to remodels and new store openings since the mid-2000s where they introduced the Bloom/Bottom Dollar format.
In comparison, the Richmond and Norfolk markets are bringing in major remodel sprees as of late; the latter even has managed to take in several stores from SuperValu's Farm Fresh. Likewise in the Carolinas, where Food Lion has had a longtime presence, some concepts have been conducted recently and new acquisitions continue.
Some basic information: In 2012, with the collapse of Bloom, Food Lion closed multiple stores belonging to the aforementioned brand in suburban areas; while in 2016 many exurban Food Lions near Giant-MD/Martins stores were sold to the likes of Weis and Shop 'n Save as Ahold and Delhaize underwent their merger. Food Lions/Giants the inner NoVA counties (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William) as well as some in the inner Maryland suburbs were spared from any divestitures, however some of the two retailers have continued operating in a similar vicinity of each other as other Food Lion stores that were sold off.
I could assume the divested Food Lion stores were chosen in a "domino effect" as one store would be close to an Ahold supermarket and all others within the town would be sold as a result. As for the remaining stores, either I could assume luckily never made it within the divestiture zone, are presently pending action or even might be more profitable to FL.
These stores can still be beneficial to their areas and as an asset of Ahold Delhaize which in turn could warrant remodels. I would not see much of a point in FL continuing to operate here if updates are not planned to their store base. Hopefully some news does come in to these stores so that they can continue to serve their locales.
If you have been around D.C. area Food Lions, what do you see in these stores and when could changes happen? Answers would be appreciated.