| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA |
| Headquarters | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA |
| Number of locations | 111 Stores (2010)[1] |
| Area served | South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia |
| Key people | President: Steve Hall; Vice-President of Marketing/ Merchandising: Barbara Saulpaugh |
| Products | Grocery, Deli, Bakery, Meat, Seafood, Produce, Dairy, Floral, Online Ordering, Delivery, Fuel, Pharmacy |
| Revenue | 1.6 billion USD (2007) |
| Parent | Alex Lee |
| Website | lowesfoods.com |
Lowes Foods is a grocery store chain based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The company now has 102 stores in North Carolina, five in South Carolina, and two in Virginia. The chain's initial growth was in the mountains of North Carolina and rural areas of Virginia, but, starting in the late 1990s, has geared expansion towards metropolitan areas in North and South Carolina.
Until October 4, 2009, Lowes Foods used S&H Greenpoints on their store discount card; this was replaced with "Fresh Rewards" on October 5.[2] Many of Lowes Foods stores also offer Lowes Foods to Go, where shoppers can order groceries online and drive to the store to pick them up. Business and home delivery is available at select locations throughout North and South Carolina.
As of 2010, Lowes Foods had 111 stores and 8,500 employees.[1]
Lowes Foods started in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, with a single store that Jim Lowe (former co-owner of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, and son of its founder) opened in 1954. Lowe sold that store to J.C. Faw. Expansion in Wilkesboro and the mountain regions of NC shortly followed. In 1984, the chain was sold to MDI[3] of Hickory, North Carolina. After MDI bought Institution Food House, Inc., the Lowes chain, MDI, and IFH became divisions of a new company, Alex Lee Inc., formed in 1992 and named for MDI founders Alex and Lee George.[4][5]
In 1997, Alex Lee, the parent company of Lowes, bought Byrd's Food Stores Inc. of Burlington, North Carolina, which had 43 stores. Lowes had 56 stores, few in the area served by Byrd's. The Byrd's stores became Lowes stores.[6][7] In 2000, Delhaize America had to sell 38 Hannaford stores to satisfy antitrust concerns. Lowes bought 12 of these, six (plus one under construction) in the Triangle and six on the coast.[8]
In 2007, Lowes Foods opened its first fuel station at a Hickory, North Carolina, store. As of December 2010, eleven Lowes Foods stores had installed fuel stations to accompany the grocery shopping. Lowes offers a five cent discount per gallon of gas with each $100 spent inside the store.[9]
In 2011, Lowes Foods opened a 'frugal cousin' series of stores called Just $ave. These stores are located mainly in rural areas (with the exception of North Wilkesboro), targetting budget-conscious shoppers. Just $ave stores have opened in Pilot Mountain, North Wilkesboro, Graham, Roxboro, Asheboro[10], and Thomasville.
On August 15, 2011, Lowes began the Aisle50 program in the Carolinas, intending to expand to other areas and other chains in the future. Deals from aisle50.com will not likely replace coupons, but shoppers will be able to buy certain products for about half their normal prices.[11]