Does Kroger Own Lion Eater? (all you must know)
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Food Lion is an American grocery chain that carries a variety of products at its more than 1,000 locations.
Likewise, Kroger, the largest supermarket retailer in the United States, specializes in products similar to Food Lion. Which begs the question – does Kroger own Food Lion? This is what I found!
Does Kroger own Food Lion in 2022?
Although Kroger owns multiple supermarkets and grocery stores in the U.S., it doesn’t own the Food Lion chain in 2022. Food Lion is currently owned by Ahold Delhaize, a separate entity that has no relationship with the Kroger family of companies. So, while the two stores operate the same product, they are distinct.
If you want to learn more about who owns Food Lion and if there is any connection between Food Lion and Kroger, keep reading!
Which company owns Food Lion?
Food Lion is currently owned by Dutch multinational Ahold Delhaize. Ahold Delhaize, with its international headquarters in the Netherlands, acquired Food Lion in 1974.
Ahold Delhaize was founded in 2016 by the merger of Dutch brand Ahold and Belgian Delhaize Group.
In addition to Food Lion, Ahold Delhaize has multiple brands in 10 countries, ranging from hypermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies to liquor stores.
This includes Belgium, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Romania, Portugal and the Netherlands.
In the US, Food Lion is managed by its parent company and currently has 1,104 stores and 555 pickup points across the country.
Did Kroger ever try to buy Food Lion?
Kroger doesn’t appear to have tried to buy Food Lion before. Instead, the two retailers have been fighting for customers and market share for decades.
Therefore, the two chains are completely independent.
What are the Similarities Between Kroger and Food Lion?
Although they are not under the same management, Kroger and Food Lion are similar in some ways.
They are both well-known retail grocery stores in the United States that sell different types of products.
You can buy almost everything under one roof, from groceries, health and beauty products, pharmacies to beer and wine in two stores.
While Food Lion was founded in North Carolina, Kroger was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, before expanding to the rest of the country.
Both Kroger and Food Lion offer discounts, coupon codes and promotions to their customers.
So if you need to buy something cheaper, you can easily get the best price from these two stores.
Additionally, they both have a strong presence in the US, while Kroger has 2,800 stores and Food Lion has 1,000 nationwide.
So customers can easily visit their local Kroger or Food Lion store when they need to shop.
What other stores are affiliated with Food Lion?
Food Lion isn’t the only brand Ahold Delhaize owns in the United States.
The parent company owns multiple retail and grocery stores, some acquired by Ahold and others by Delhaize before merging in 2016.
Here are the brands Ahold Delhaize owns in the US:
giant food
Giant Food has supermarkets and pharmacies where customers can shop online.
In the U.S., Giant has more than 160 stores in states including Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
Giant Food was established in 1936 and was acquired by Ahold in 1998.
Giant Corporation
Founded in 1923, Giant Company serves customers in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Giant operates about 190 stores, 104 gas stations, 132 pharmacies and 130 online pickup and distribution centers.
Similar to Giant Food, this supermarket store was acquired by Ahold Delhaize in 1998.
Hannaford
Hannaford was founded in Portland, Maine in 1883 by the Hannaford brothers.
Originally a small grocery store, the store has expanded to 180 stores and 30,000 employees across the United States.
Ahold Delhaize acquired Hannaford in 2000.
stop and shop
Stop & Shop is an American supermarket chain operating primarily in the Northeastern United States.
Ahold acquired Stop & Shop in 1995 and is now part of the Ahold Delhaize family of companies. Stop & Shop has 415 locations nationwide.
pea pods
Unlike other brick-and-mortar stores, Peapod Digital Labs is an online grocery store in Chicago and other U.S. cities
Since its founding in 1989, the company was at one point the largest online grocery delivery company in the U.S.
Ahold Delhaize uses Peapod Digital Labs as innovation hub for all of its U.S. operations
Fresh direct sales
FreshDirect is a leading online grocery store that delivers groceries directly to customers’ homes or offices.
The Ahold Delhaize subsidiary has operations in Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia.
FreshDirect, with its main headquarters in the Bronx, New York, was acquired by Ahold Delhaize in January 2021.
Which stores does Kroger own?
Although Kroger doesn’t own Food Lion, it owns about 2,800 Kroger family grocery retail stores in various US states, making it the largest supermarket chain in the US.
Some of the Kroger-owned stores include:
- Ralphs
- Harris Tate
- king spoon
- Fred Meyer
- round
- Baker’s
- QFC
- Fry’s
- less food 4
- Dillion
- city market
- home cook
- subway market
- Smith’s
Due to its US dominance, Kroger operates in 35 US states
As a public company, it derives revenue from the sales and operations of all its subsidiaries.
Can you return Food Lion items to Kroger?
While the two retail giants focus on the same products, you can’t return Food Lion merchandise to a Kroger store.
Food Lion and Kroger are completely separate companies with their own unique leadership and return policies.
Therefore, if you need to return an item to either store, you must contact the individual seller and follow the return policy for a refund or exchange.
Each of these stores operates a different policy, which can be found on the website. You can also ask an employee or store manager for more information on returns.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether Kroger owns Fred Meyer, whether Kroger owns Frys, and whether Kroger owns Harris Teeter.
in conclusion
Although Kroger owns multiple supermarkets and grocery stores in the United States, it does not own the Food Lion chain as of 2022. Food Lion is currently owned by a separate entity.
Ahold Delhaize has no ties to the Kroger family of companies. Therefore, although the two stores operate the same product, they operate in different ways and have different management.
