Table of Contents
SALISBURY, N.C. — Delhaize America appointed Meg Ham to head up the company’s 1,100 Food Lion supermarkets, a promotion that took effect November 1.
Delhaize America appointed Meg Ham to head up the company’s 1,100 Food Lion supermarkets, a promotion that took effect November 1.
Ham, who had been president of the company’s Bottom Dollar Food unit, succeeded Beth Newlands Campbell, who left the company.
As president, Ham will have oversight of Food Lion’s strategic direction, financial performance, product assortment, pricing, customer service and marketing, the company said.
The Bottom Dollar Food stores that until recently were led by Ham were sold earlier this month to German discount retailer Aldi, which intends to phase out the banner and close the stores by year’s end. Aldi hasn’t yet said what it intends to do with the 66 Bottom Dollar Food stores it is acquiring, which are in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.
Aldi did note that it is in the "early stages of an accelerated strategic growth plan," which is expected to add 650 stores in the United States by 2018. The company said it is looking to expand in Southern California. Aldi now has 1,300 stores in 32 states.
Bottom Dollar Food is the latest Delhaize America banner to be sold or shut down. Earlier this year it sold its Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s locations to Bi-Lo Holdings LLC.
With the latest sale, Delhaize America will operate supermarkets under just two banners. Its Food Lion stores serve more than 9 million customers each week through stores spread among 10 states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The company also has 180 Hannaford stores in the Northeast.
"We are extremely pleased to tap into internal talent to ensure a seamless transition of Food Lion operations," Kevin Holt, Delhaize America’s chief executive officer, said in announcing Ham’s promotion. "I have full confidence in Meg to continue to lead Food Lion’s transformation and to deliver on the company’s ‘Easy, Fresh and Affordable … You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day’ strategy to enhance the customer shopping experience. Meg has an extensive retail operations and merchandising background, with a strong focus on the customer experience and associate engagement."
Food Lion’s new marketing strategy involves extensive store remodels and is being introduced chainwide in stages. Food Lion launched 45 updated stores in the Greenville, N.C., market on November 12.
The remodeled stores feature a new product assortment, a dedicated gluten-free section and a larger variety of fresh meat and produce. Other features include hot meals that feed four and cost about $10, faster checkout technology and blue bags to help customers easily identify cold and frozen items.
Ham joined Delhaize America in 1988 and has held a range of leadership roles with the retailer.
"I’m honored to take on this new role at Food Lion, a company that I have been passionate about for many years," said Ham. "I look forward to maintaining our positive momentum at Food Lion by continuing to deploy our new strategy, serving our customers well and caring for our communities through Food Lion Feeds [a program that distributes meals to hungry families]."
Newlands Campbell, who cited "personal and professional reasons" for her departure, began her career as a retail management trainee at Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford.
"I want to thank Beth for her 27 years of service at both Food Lion and Hannaford," Holt said. "She has led significant improvements at Food Lion during the past two years, with a strong focus on enhancing the customer shopping experience and ensuring that Food Lion’s communities can count on us through our Food Lion Feeds hunger relief efforts. I know our associates join me in wishing Beth and her family all the best in the future."
In another personnel move at Delhaize America, J.J. Fleeman has been promoted to the position of chief strategy and development officer. Fleeman formerly served as senior vice president of Food Lion strategy.
