Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! Today, we continue the Food Lion remodel saga, exploring the changes the store has made in the month since I last visited. Lots of interesting things are here to discover, so stay tuned!
Photos taken March 7, 2020
Colors I feel could have been more fitting would have been blue to match the new logo, or at least green as it was upon opening. Nevertheless, it's nice to see Food Lion freshen their stores up.
Before we delve into the store's latest updates, we might want to pick up a store directory - something that'll come in handy as we try to navigate these topsy-turvy aisles and prepare for the final configuration upon completion.
One thing to note here is the spelling - the street, and the city it leads to are spelled Centreville, versus "Centerville" which is seen among several businesses and street signs in the area. Hopefully Food Lion corrects things next time!
This particular shot is rather standard to the prior configuration, sporting unchanged endcaps and plain shelving. As one can see, the only major changes here involve the temporary holiday shelving to the left, and the aisle markers which we will return to in a moment.
A look at the produce department. While the inviting Bloom backgrounds are gone, reduced to a plain cinderblock atmosphere, we can still rejoice in the variety of fruits and vegetables down at our level to keep us enticed.
A closeup of the previous photo, now showing the further progression of the produce wall's makeover. I'm not sure how the produce department is to look now - but I'm hoping those girders are in good condition!
Out with the Bloom swirls, in with a clean and straight blue stripe! This store is certainly getting its lion's share of the new FL style, all alongside a reset aisle catering towards ingredients. Wine products that previously occupied this aisle have been moved across the store. On the flipside, the wooden flooring and spot lighting from Bloom still remain.
Here one can see the last vestiges of the Bloom color scheme along the walls, with a tan color scheme sporting the previous shelving's residue and a brief wooden slatted portion to the left.
A water fountain, once displayed along the slatted sector, has been ironically exchanged for bottled water. Also interestingly, Poland Spring water is generally sold in the Northeastern United States, however it is not uncommon to see their products spill over into Deer Park territory, as seen here.
Shiny new aisle markers for shiny happy shopping purposes! In the past month since my last visit, Food Lion has rolled out their fleet of new aisle signage storewide. I'll say this is certainly a step-up from the previous Bloom aisle markers!
Next we tab over to the heart of the meat/seafood department. While the cases at this time remain original to their previous conditions, most of the change has been occuring along the walls. The slatted Bloom texture is likely returning to a basic drywall as evident by the insulation material. What's interesting to note is that Lowe's, another North Carolina chain, has become a supplier for the store's remodel. I'm not sure if this has appeared elsewhere, but moving on; I'm curious to see how this section will turn out.
Also, something else from this gallery; check out the photo below for a surprise!
Zooming in on the last shot, we can see a hand sanitizer station located conveniently near the store's seafood coolers/employee door. What's unique about this one, though is its' usage of the Bloom logo -
In all, isn't it something we need during this time?
Food Lion unpaved! As shelves and endcaps waltz across the store, either to their new spot or off into the wild yonder, they have left behind no drought of secrets - as seen here. Both a large Bloom tag and unidentified snippings have remained between the endcap base and the adhesive ground. Definitely needs some cleaning, that is, if this is what flooring Food Lion will go with!
This central aisle in the store is likely under major change in regards to shelving and whatnot. While work continues in the backrooms and main floorspace, stock is being held off as this aisle prepares to be reconfigured. This is likely the previous location of books/general merchandise prior to the remodel.
Here's a look down the store's frozen foods aisle, assorted with a random bargain bin and clad with freezers from before the remodel.
One thing to note is that the store's greeting card collection is parked in the far end of the aisle, located on the wooden floor which once teetered on the edge of this section, health & beauty and prepared foods. Quite an interesting move - but we'll have to see if this will be the case or not down the line.
Finishing our photoset for today, we stand along the front endcaps of the store's aisles skirting alongside the prepared foods department. With the coolers separating the aisles removed, cardboard lining the floor and product displays rearranged, it is no wonder this area has been transformed quite a bit. New lighting continues to come into place; while it isn't the simple row lights as before, the change does provide for some creative benefit.
In the background, we see the front end of the store; as of these photos' taking, the store continues to have the old Bloom checklights and blue design.
Given the rush for supplies and health circumstances, this will be my most recent visit for now. Once things ease out, more photos will be on the way with a glimpse at further remodel work. Stay safe y'all, and 'till next time!
