http://www.delhaizegroup.com/images/store_foodlion.jpg I went to the new Food Lion grocery store, right outside of Forest Oaks Country Club. It is located right off highway 421 and Liberty Road. I found that this particular retailer falls under neighborhood community shopping centers. The new Food Lion is located in a little shopping strip with a nail place. It is located in a very small neighborhood center and is very convenient for people who live in the Forest Oaks community to go to.
The main advantages the Food Lion has is that they offer customers very convenient locations and easy parking. The parking lot is huge and they have relativity low occupancy costs. Another advantage of the new Food Lion's location is traffic. You don't have to worry about heavy traffic getting to the Food Lion and leaving. It is located off the 421 highway and near Forest Oaks.
However, there are some disadvantages to the new Food Lion's location. First of all, they have a limited trade area due to it's size. The grocery store also lacks entertainment and restaurants. The only reason customers will come out to the neighborhood strip is to go to the grocery store or to get their nails done. There isn't much more to offer entertainment wise and restaurant wise. Another disadvantage of the location is the weather. There is no protection from the weather compared to enclosed shopping malls.
Overall, I think the new Food Lion is in a good location. People living in the Forest Oaks community haven't had a convenient grocery store to go to in years. Now they finally have a very convenient place to grocery shop. Other than the few disadvantages, I think the new Food Lion location will continue to do well because there aren't any other close grocery stores around.
