Will an 'Easy, Fresh and Affordable' strategy improve Food Lion's results?
Last August, the then still relatively new CEO of Food Lion, Beth Newlands Campbell, spoke about the need for her company to set itself apart and not be a "middle of the road" retailer. Now comes word that Food Lion is making the changes hinted at by Ms. Newlands Campbell and those include a new logo, extensive store remodels, expanded food and beverage variety, lower prices, a greater focus on fresh foods and re-training 63,000 employees to be more customer-centric.
The tagline to communicate the 1,100+ store grocery chain's new approach is "Easy, Fresh and Affordable...You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day."
"For our customers to trust us, they need to be able to go into any Food Lion store and have a consistently great experience," said Ms. Newlands Campbell in a statement. "This is why our efforts to improve customer service and ensure our products are always fresh are so important. We want our customers to know that they can count on their local Food Lion team to meet their needs and serve their local community."
One example that Food Lion provided for a small, but important, change is its bags. The company's new bags now come in two colors: blue and white. The blue bags are for cold and frozen items, making them more easily identifiable for customers when they unpack at home.
On the company's new logo, Ms. Newlands Campbell said it provided "an opportunity to show our customers that we're fresh, while remaining true to our legacy of low prices. Beginning later this year, we'll also bring our customers items in our stores that are consistent with the logo on the front, as we deliver new Food Lion store brand products that will help our customers save."