Bloom withers in the Carolinas

Food Lion's upscale counterpart Bloom will no longer be a fixture of the grocerying scene in the Charlotte region and in the Upstate of South Carolina. Delhaize America, parent company of Bloom and Food Lion, has announced that the Bloom stores in these two regions will convert to Food Lion stores over the course of the spring. There are currently 16 Bloom stores in the Carolinas: nine in the Charlotte region and eight in the Upstate. 15 of these stores will be converted to Food Lion, and one store in Mauldin, S.C. will close. Bloom currently has 65 stores in total, most of which are in the Washington, D.C. metro area and Hampton Roads area.

It doesn't come as a surprise that Delhaize has decided to convert its Bloom stores in the Carolinas to Food Lion, as Food Lion is a more established brand in this region. Additionally, last year we reported that Bloom's proposed expansion to the Triangle wouldn't happen after all and those stores opened as Food Lion. It will be interesting to watch the impact that the branding change has on the local grocery market. Bloom opened its first store in Charlotte in 2004. In addition to Food Lion and Bloom, grocery stores operated by Delhaize Group in the United States include Hannaford, Harvey's, Bottom Dollar, Reid's and Sweetbay.

Image courtesy Core/Centdev

No Bloom for the Triangle; Charlotte store moves forward

Last year we reported that Food Lion's upscale and high-tech spin off, Bloom, would be expanding to North Carolina's Research Triangle area with stores planned in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville and Clayton. These stores will now open under the Food Lion banner, as Delhaize Group, parent company of Food Lion and Bloom, say they would like to focus on markets that they are currently in like Washington, D.C., Greenville-Spartanburg and Charlotte, before expanding into new markets.

In other Bloom news, their Charlotte store which replaces the former Bi-Lo in Dilworth Crossing is set to open this Wednesday, March 17. What's In Store blog has photos from inside the store.

Bi-Lo closing in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, to be replaced by Bloom store

The Bi-Lo store at Dilworth Crossing in Charlotte, at the corner of Park Road and Ideal Way, is set to close this week after serving the Dilworth Community since 1988. But the history of the store dates back to a few years prior, when residents were engaged in a debate as to whether a grocery store should be built in their neighborhood or not. The Kroger Company wanted to build a store in this historic streetcar suburb, thus spurring the phrase "No Krogering In Dilworth." A photograph of the sign can be seen here. Prior to Bi-Lo's renovation of the store, the Dilworth store was one of Kroger's classic"greenhouse" style stores. You can still find the remnants of Kroger Greenhouse style stores around Charlotte these days converted into something else.

Currently, the Bi-Lo store encompasses around 45,000 square feet, and the interior seems like it was remodeled in the mid-to-late 90s but Grocerying does not officially know when the updates took place. The store also has been patroned by residents not only in Dilworth, but residents of the Wilmore community and other lower income areas, respectively, near I-77 for whom the store has provided as an alternative to neighborhood stores and the lack of having a full size grocery store in their immediate area. Bi-Lo has noted that the closing of their Dilworth store is not related to their recent filing for bankruptcy protection. According to the Charlotte Observer, the reason for Bi-Lo's departure from Dilworth is due to terms in their lease agreement, as the owner of the center wants to bring in a store that would better suit the neighborhood, which over the last 20 years has gone through a redevelopment of sorts of its own.

Many feel that Bi-Lo has struggled to find a niche, especially in the Charlotte market, as their stores in the lower-to-middle end are closing and as the concept of Super Bi-Lo is being tested in the market. Because the Bi-Lo store in Dilworth is in a prime location in what some may call a trendy neighborhood, the store will not sit vacant for long. Bloom, the "high tech" and more upscale market run by Food Lion, will construct a 55,000 square foot location in its space. Grabbing the location is a real boon for Bloom. Currently, their stores are on the fringes of the Charlotte area, and this will be their first real in-town location in south Charlotte, a region of town that is dominated by Harris Teeter. The Bloom store is scheduled to open by the end of the year.

More photos of the interior and exterior of the store:




The sign reads: "Our Park Road Bi-Lo will be closing on 4-25 Saturday at 7 p.m. We have enjoyed serving the community since 1988 and hnope you visit us at our other Charlotte locations. Thank you"

UPDATE: This store has been converted to a Food Lion.

Bloom grocery stores expanding to The Triangle area

Grocerying has learned that Bloom, the upscale and high-tech grocery store operated by Food Lion, is expanding into the Raleigh area of North Carolina. Stay tuned for more on this, hopefully to be accompanied by photos!

More Bloom and Bottom Dollar

The Charlotte Observer ran an article today comparing the three Food Lion brands: Food Lion itself, Bloom and Bottom Dollar. We did a post comparing the three markets too, one post about Bottom Dollar and other Food Lion ventures, and one about Bloom. The photos are from the Wikipedia article for Food Lion, the Bloom store is from Accokeek, Maryland and I'm assuming the Bottom Dollar is their Hickory location, but I am not quite sure about it.

Fast facts from the Observer's article:

BLOOM

• 52 stores, four states.• Features high-tech gadgets that allow shoppers to print recipes, find their way around the store or tally their purchases while shopping.

• Features a fresh meat and seafood market; large selection of organic and international foods and store-baked pastries.

• Store rewards card gives customers a 1 percent rebate for each dollar spent.

FOOD LION

• 1,151 stores in 11 states.

• Stores are undergoing a redesign to widen aisles and lower shelves. Upgrading produce and wine departments.

• Smaller selection of international and organic foods; seafood is fresh but prepackaged.

• MVP card gives discounts on select items.

BOTTOM DOLLAR

• 18 stores in three states.

• Customers bag their own groceries. Polyester cloth bags cost $1 each, heavy plastic bags go for 5 cents each, and boxes are free.

• No on-site deli or bakery.

• At most stores, no card required to receive discounts. Hickory store is testing a free membership card.

Bloom - Cheshire Commons, Charlotte

(Image via Treo Systems)

Well, after talking about Bottom Dollar and Food Lion's other ventures, I figured it was time to make a post about Bloom. Bloom originated as a test-concept in north Charlotte with five area stores, and is quickly expanding now to the upstate of South Carolina and the Washington, D.C. area. They focus on convienence and their layout is atypical of a standard grocer. Visual Store has a great article on Bloom and how this concept works (Images too). A perk is being able to scan your own items before you place it in the cart, and that certainly helps make Bloom certainly is "a different kind of grocery store." The Bloom picture above is the flagship store at Sugar Creek Rd & Harris Blvd. It is about 39,000 square feet and opened brand new in 2004.

Tabletop Circle - Essential items centered around this section.

Links
ShopBloom.com
Bloom at Greensboring.com
Info about iPal at Treo Systems
Cheshire Commons