Food Lion adds self-checkout to nearly all 94 North Carolina remodels

Food Lion will introduce self-checkout lanes at nearly all of 94 remodeled stores in Greater Greensboro and the Triad region of North Carolina, according to the grocer.

The lanes form part of a market investment of more than $270 million. Food Lion said customer and associate feedback drove the rollout.

What does the self-checkout rollout change?

For shoppers, the practical change is a choice between two checkout formats. Food Lion said customers can select self-checkout or traditional cashier-assisted checkout.

The decision arrives as some retailers have scaled back self-checkout over shrink and service concerns, The Shelby Report reported. Food Lion described the lanes as a choice that preserves a traditional cashier-assisted option.

For Food Lion, the rollout adds a self-service format without taking away the assisted lane.

Nearly every remodeled store pairs self-checkout with cashier-assisted service, expanded meal solutions, local products, pickup and delivery options, energy-efficient lighting and refrigerated cases with doors.

The $270 million program also includes two new stores that opened earlier this year in Summerfield and Greensboro. Food Lion said the projects support an easy, fresh and affordable omnichannel shopping experience.

Greg Finchum, president of Food Lion, said: “Food Lion has proudly served the Greater Greensboro and Triad communities for more than 50 years, growing alongside generations of neighbors who have trusted us to be part of their everyday lives.”

He continued: “These investments are designed for the neighbors who count on us for fresh food, affordable prices and convenience. We’re also investing in our associates, whose care and dedication make a difference every day. Together with our support for local hunger-relief organizations, this investment reflects our commitment to nourishing our neighbors in the towns and cities we serve.”

Inside the remodels

Food Lion’s remodel program links physical store design with pickup, home delivery, Nature’s Promise products, local sourcing and lower-energy refrigeration across the same market footprint.

Food Lion listed the following changes:

• Expanded assortments span ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook and ready-to-heat meal solutions, fresh produce, meats, and organic, gluten-free and plant-based items.
• Food Lion To Go provides pickup and home delivery.
• The natural and organic private brand Nature’s Promise joins regional items from local growers and manufacturers through the Local Goodness program.
• Energy-efficient LED lighting and refrigerated cases with doors decrease energy consumption while enhancing fresh assortments, according to Food Lion.

Reopening schedule

Grand reopening celebrations for the remodeled stores begin Nov. 4, according to Food Lion. Each participating store will host a 7:45 a.m. ribbon cutting.

Food Lion also scheduled drawings for $1,000 gift cards, giveaways and gift cards for the first 100 customers, plus register scratch tickets through Nov. 10.

Local hunger-relief commitments

Food Lion Feeds announced a $375,000 commitment across three local hunger-relief organizations. The money divides into one larger allocation for a pantry and support center and two foundation-funded efforts tied directly to neighborhood food access across the market area.

Food Lion Feeds allocated the money as follows:

• $225,000 to Phillips Community Market for its client-choice pantry, distribution center and nutrition education center.
• $100,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad launch an on-site pantry serving multiple area clubs.
• $50,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to Backpack Beginnings to combat childhood hunger.

Food Lion’s wider footprint

The Triad investment follows similar market-wide remodel programs that Food Lion says it has completed across its more than 1,100-store footprint over the past decade.

Food Lion reported two measures of local engagement since 2025:

• Associates volunteered more than 8,400 hours with community feeding partners in the Greensboro and Triad area.
• Area stores donated more than 10 million pounds of food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina through the company’s food rescue program.

Food Lion is based in Salisbury, North Carolina, and operates in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, according to the company. The retailer offers pickup and home delivery through Food Lion To Go.

Food Lion identifies itself as a company of Ahold Delhaize USA. Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 1.5 billion meals since 2014, the grocer said. It has set a goal of 3 billion meals by 2032.

The immediate test begins Nov. 4: shoppers can choose self-checkout or cashier-assisted checkout as Food Lion celebrates a more than $270 million remodel program backed by $375,000 in hunger-relief funding.