Food Lion to Go Spotlighted as Ahold Delhaize Expands Services

Food Lion significantly expanded the availability of "Food Lion to Go" this summer as parent company Ahold Delhaize focuses on growing individually branded pickup and delivery services for online orders across all its banners.Following successful pilot programs in 2017 and 2018, Food Lion expanded its service to 105 locations in the Carolinas and Virginia in June, and this month added 28 more participating stores in Virginia and North Carolina. Of Food Lion's more than 1,000 stores, more than 130, and counting, offer the service. The grocer supported the expansion with ribbon cutting ceremonies, in-store events and social media updates. Food Lion to Go lets shoppers buy groceries at shop.foodlion.com or via a dedicated Food Lion to Go mobile application for pickup or home delivery. Shoppers who opt for pickup, can have their orders ready in as little as an hour. The cost is $1.99 for orders of at least $35 or $3.99 for orders that don't meet that threshold. Items are stored in lockers located inside stores. Once an order is ready for pickup, shoppers can park in a designated Food Lion to Go spot and have their groceries delivered to their car.The Food Lion to Go home delivery service is available to shoppers across more than 300 ZIP codes. For orders over $35, two-hour delivery costs $3.99 and one-hour delivery costs $5.99. For orders under $35, two-hour delivery costs $7.99 while one-hour delivery costs $9.99.In conjunction with the program's large-scale expansion this summer, Food Lion has encouraged shoppers to use the service with a digital marketing effort. During the June rollout, a foodlion.com home page leaderboard ad invited shoppers to “try the new Food Lion to Go home delivery and pickup” services. Additionally, a splash window popped up on the online circular web page dangling $10 off first orders of at least $35 with a code, while multiple features in the circulars also spotlighted the service and introductory offer.In August, a top-of-page ad running throughout the site has encouraged shoppers to “order your groceries online for pickup or delivery" while directing shoppers to shop.foodlion.com, where they are greeted with another splash window, this time asking the shopper to select pick-up or delivery. Digital circular features continue to promote the service, while touting its pricing as MVP loyalty club-compliant and the same as in stores. Similar ads running throughout foodlion.com in addition to an informational web page also continue to support. Shop.foodlion.com's selection is organized in categories based on the “aisle” including produce, meat and seafood, pantry, pet, and deli and bakery items. Shoppers can also browse by eight “more ways to shop,” such as current offers, MVP specials, vegan products, gluten-free products and previously purchased items. The destination's leaderboard ad spotlights seasonal products like “cookout classics” for Labor Day and game day essentials for football season.The expansion of Food Lion's service comes as a slew of Ahold banners are adding their own pickup services. Ahold Delhaize aims to make pickup available at more than 600 of its U.S. supermarkets by the end of 2019, as to give 65% of its U.S. shoppers same-day pickup and delivery access by 2020.The company had added 124 pickup locations in the second quarter of 2019 (ended Aug. 7), largely at Food Lion and Giant/Martin’s stores. In June, Stop & Shop – the company’s largest chain – launched same-day pickup with plans to roll out 175 click-and-collect locations by the end of the year. In July, Giant-Landover began its rollout of Giant Pickup with two stores, and will expand to 100 stores by the end of the year. Giant-Carlisle is also expanding Giant Direct, Powered by Peapod, which is available at more than 100 of its locations.

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