The $31 billion merger of Delhaize and Ahold creates one of the world’s largest grocery companies, with 6,500 stores in the USA and Europe.
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Delhaize also made deals Wednesday to sell another 64 Food Lions to firms such as Weis Markets Inc., Albertsons Co. and others.
Weis Markets announced Thursday it will purchase 38 Food Lion stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Ahold and Delhaize expect to close their merger this month and said they have agreements in hand to sell the 86 stores, which are scattered across Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and West Virginia.
The deal, announced late Wednesday, is one of several by Food Lion’s owner, Belgium-based Delhaize Group, to satisfy antitrust regulators who are concerned about its merger with Dutch-based Koninklijke Ahold NV.
The acquired stores will be converted to SUPERVALU’s Shop ‘N Save format and at least initially be operated by SUPERVALU. “All 8 of the stores (6 in Virginia and 2 in Maryland) that had been proposed for sale will remain Giant, pending Federal Trade Commission approval which is expected by the end of July”. As Shop ‘N Save stores, the plan will be to deliver a full-variety meat department, full-service delis and bakeries and an expanded produce department. “The divested stores are being sold to well-established supermarket operators”, the Delhaize Group stated in a news release.
“The stores will operate under our Shop ‘N Save format, which we believe is a great format for us and our wholesale customers”, Mark Gross, Supervalu’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
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The Winchester area Food Lions will become Minnesota-based Supervalu, which has 3,400 stores across the country under different names, according to its website.
