Ahold Delhaize’s US supermarket chain Food Lion has signed an agreement to buy five Winn-Dixie stores in Southern Georgia.
The acquisition from The Winn-Dixie Company will lift Food Lion’s planned new-store openings to 15 by year-end 2026, up from ten.
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Food Lion plans to hire roughly 375 associates across the five stores.
The sites will keep trading as Winn-Dixie until the transaction closes, a step that depends on customary closing requirements.
After that, Food Lion will convert the stores and reopen them in mid-December, with pickup and home delivery offered through the Food Lion To Go website or app.
Food Lion said the transaction will improve its capacity to serve more customers with fresh produce, meats, ready-to-eat meals and everyday essentials.
Further details, including opening schedules for individual locations, will be announced later.
Food Lion brand president Greg Finchum said: “The growth we are experiencing gives us great momentum as we head into 2027. Each new store broadens our footprint and deepens our presence in the towns and cities we serve, giving our associates the opportunity to offer neighbours the easy and affordable shopping experience they count on from Food Lion.”
In a separate development, Ahold Delhaize’s Greek brand Alfa Beta has signed an agreement to sell ENA Cash & Carry and its 13 stores in Greece to wholesale cash-and-carry distributor The Mart.
All 388 ENA Cash & Carry employees will transfer to The Mart.
Alfa Beta brand president Nikos Lavidas said: “This decision is a continuation of the transformation plan we are implementing and the reorganisation of our store network.
“We are concentrating on our investments and resources where we have our strongest competitive advantage, in food retail.”
The transformation plan includes expanding Alfa Beta’s network to approximately 900 stores by 2028.
The agreement will be submitted to the Greek Competition Commission, and completion of the transaction is subject to its approval.
Late last month, Tesco agreed to sell its businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Ahold Delhaize in a €1.7bn ($1.90bn) transaction on a cash- and debt-free basis.
