Food Lion to open in April at Boundary Street’s Bi-Lo location

North Carolina-based grocery chain bought Bi-Lo stores in 2020

By Mindy Lucas

After months of wondering what would happen to the Bi-Lo on Boundary Street, grocery shoppers in Beaufort finally have their answer.

Food Lion announced earlier this week that the company has signed the lease for the store, at 2127 Boundary Street.

The store is expected to transition to and open as a Food Lion in April and expects to have 75 employees, according to a news release issued by the company on March 31.

It has not released an official opening date yet, but in an email from the company, indicated it would “closer to the grand opening.”

“We’re very excited to add this additional store to our network and look forward to serving more of our neighbors later this spring,” Food Lion President Meg Ham said in the news release.

“We’re committed to offering fresh, quality products at affordable prices every day. That’s been our promise for more than 60 years, and that’s what we will continue to offer our neighbors in the towns and cities we serve,” Ham said.

Those working at Bi-Lo were told they could apply for jobs with Food Lion after it was announced in June of 2020 that the North Carolina-based company had acquired 62 Bi-Lo and Harveys Supermarket stores from Southeastern Grocers.

The Bi-Lo located at 860 Parris Island Gateway, which recently opened in March as a Food Lion, was included in the sale, but the fate of the Boundary Street Bi-Lo had remained uncertain. In recent weeks, the store had begun discounting many of its grocery items, seemingly in an effort to sell off a large portion of its stock.

Bi-Lo’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers, is in the process of dissolving the Bi-Lo brand, “….to allow for greater investment in growing the Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie banners,” the company stated in a previous news release.

Its remaining Bi-Lo stores will close by the end of April if buyers or other options are not found by then, a company representative told the The Greenville News.

Based in Salisbury, North Carolina, Food Lion has been operating since 1957. The chain has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 77,000 associates, according to the news release.

Those interested in employment with Food Lion can apply for positions online at www.foodlion.com/careers, the release also stated.