Dairy section of a Food Lion in Hampton, Virginia The Food Lion name was adopted in 1983; as Food Town expanded into, the chain encountered several stores called Foodtown in the area. Expansion into would have been a bigger problem since about 100 independent, but affiliated, stores were called Food Town. Because Delhaize had a lion in its logo, Food Town had asked to use it on product labels and new store signs.

The employees at Food Lion always make me feel at home. Everyone goes out of his or her way to ensure I get good service. Most prices are reasonable and merchandise is readily available. Produce is usually fresh and nicely displayed. Employees are usually nice and willing to help you find what.

Ralph Ketner realized 'lion' needed only two new letters and the movement of another in the chain's signs. On December 12, 1982, Ketner announced the name change to 'Food Lion,' and by the end of March 1983, all stores had been rebranded. How to convert idx to srt subtitles. The name change, while puzzling for American customers, made economic and historic sense, as Delhaize was once known as 'Delhaize Le Lion.'

Throughout the 1980s, Food Lion expanded throughout the and Southeastern United States. The company continued their expansion throughout the late 1980s, opening hundreds of stores in existing markets such as and, and entering new markets such as Georgia and Maryland.

In the early 1990s, Food Lion stores appeared in new markets such as and southern;; and;;;. (Of these 8 markets Food Lion penetrated in the 1990s, the only ones that still have Food Lion stores are and southern Pennsylvania). During this time, the chain was the fastest-growing supermarket company in the U.S., as they opened over 100 new stores each year. In November 1992, a critical report that showed handling of meat and seafood hurt the chain as they attempted to enter new markets in.

(See ABC PrimeTime Live section, below.) According to some industry sources, the new stores in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma were already operating below sales projections. The small, lackluster Food Lion stores were beginning to compete with national retail leaders, such as Albertsons, Kroger, Tom Thumb, and Jewel-Osco—all of which were already well-respected in the Southwest and which operated larger stores with more features, but the effects of the devastating ABC report could not be denied, and sales and revenue plummeted. In the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, widespread reports were given of stores sending half of their staff home early due to lack of business and of other stores with 'virtually zero meat sales'. In the fiscal quarter that included the Thanksgiving holiday of 1992, Delhaize America reported company-wide same-store sales declines of 9.5%. As a result, Food Lion was forced to greatly scale back its expansion plans in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as delay its planned entry into new markets in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. Interior of a store in Southern Shores, North Carolina In 1993, Food Lion agreed to pay $16.2 million to settle claims that they violated federal laws regulating unpaid overtime, minimum wage, and child labor, according to the.

In the agreement, which at the time was the largest settlement ever from a private employer accused of violating the (FLSA), the grocery chain agreed to ensure that all employees would be well-informed about their rights. Additionally, the Labor Department said Food Lion's top management provided assurances that no retaliatory action would be taken against employees who filed complaints about unpaid overtime or other potential FLSA violations. On January 7, 1994, Delhaize announced the first major round of store closings in what would become a yearly event. The stores to be closed included 47 of its brand-new stores in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Throughout the mid-1990s, the company canceled for new stores and closed scores of its newly built outlets in recently established markets such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and Oklahoma City. Citing double-digit same-store sales declines for the quarter ending in September 1997, Delhaize announced that it was canceling its Midwest expansion, exiting all markets in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and closing its 6-year-old in.