| Supermarket chain Food Lion’s parent company is planning a $860 million distribution center in Burlington, with about 500 jobs likely to be created over the next eight years
Construction on the new facility is expected to begin next year, with an anticipated start of operations in 2029. Elected officials in Guilford County and the city of Burlington approved nearly $40 million in economic development incentives for the project “This is the largest capital investment in the Burlington area in anyone’s memory, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome these new jobs to the region,” N.C. Rep. Alan Branson said in a release. “Ahold Delhaize USA and their ADUSA Distribution unit will find a strong network of partners standing ready to help them succeed in our community.” Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of a company based in The Netherlands, operates the Food Lion, Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop store brands. They make up the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth largest in the nation, serving 26 million customers each week. “The investment into this facility is an investment into the customers that trust our brands to nourish their families,” said JJ Fleeman, CEO for Ahold Delhaize USA. “Through the new distribution center, ADUSA Distribution and ADUSA Transportation will expand their capacity to support Food Lion’s growth in the state, along with bringing new jobs.” Food Lion was formed in Salisbury in 1957 and acquired by Ahold Delhaize in the mid-1970s when the chain was still called Food Town. It has more than 1,100 stores in 10 states and employs about 82,000 people. It has shown consistent earnings growth, while facing a more competitive industry as rivals Aldi, Kroger, Lidl, Publix and others expand in the Southeast. Burlington’s City Council approved $21.5 million in incentives for so-called Project Titan, while Guilford’s Board of Commissioners agreed to incentives totaling $17.9 million. Funded by a state appropriation, the city also proposed extending water and sewer lines to the site at a cost of $4.35 million. Tracts between Greensboro and Burlington have lured numerous businesses, such as Florida-based Publix Super Market’s $400 million distribution facility in McLeansville. |
