First store re-opened in Food Lion acquisition

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Food Lion today posted its flag and officially re-opened the first Upstate supermarket in a 62-store acquisition of Bi-Lo and Harveys Supermarkets across the Carolinas and Georgia.

Employees of Food Lion at 699 Fairview Road in Simpsonville celebrated the opening with welcome gifts for Simpsonville firefighters, Bryson Elementary and Middle School, and the Prisma Health Family YMCA. The company also donated $1,500 in Food Lion gift cards and financial donations to Miracle Hill, an agency of Harvest Hope Food Bank.

“I'm extremely excited to open our new Food Lion in Simpsonville,” Richie Tallman, store manager of the new location, said in a news release. “I look forward to welcoming my neighbors and family to shop with us and experience our expanded assortment and variety.”

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., last summer announced plans to buy the stores from Southeastern Grocers Inc. Thirty-eight of them are in South Carolina.

Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 states, according to the release.

In addition to the 62-store purchase, Food Lion last year announced that it will be served by Ahold Delhaize USA Distribution LLC, through the acquisition of what was the Bi-Lo Mauldin distribution center. The company said at the time that ADUSA Distribution would hire more than 800 associates to support Food Lion’s network of stores. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize.