Who owns Food Lion?
Food Lion is owned by Ahold Delhaize (the Netherlands, AEX: AD), which has owned the brand since 24 July 2016.[1] Food Lion was founded in 1957 in Salisbury, North Carolina and was independent until 2016.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. reported
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (1957–2016)
- Owner HQ
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands, Zaandam
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Salisbury, North Carolina
- Founded
- 1957
- Category
- Food › Meals & meal components › Canned & shelf-stable meals
- Parent ticker
- AEX: AD
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Food Lion
Food Lion operates supermarkets across the southeastern United States, founded in 1957 as Food Town. Delhaize acquired control in 1974, making it Belgian-owned decades before the merger that created the present company. It now sits within Ahold Delhaize, formed in 2016, alongside Stop and Shop, Giant and Hannaford in the same American division.
Ownership timeline of Food Lion
- 2016 – present Ahold Delhaize [1] reported
Where Food Lion sits in Ahold Delhaize
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Ahold Delhaize ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Ahold Delhaize in food
Latest news about Food Lion
No tagged news items yet. Headlines are added nightly from public feeds; only titles and links are stored.
Headlines link to the original publisher. Brandtree does not reproduce article text.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Food Lion?
The parent company of Food Lion is Ahold Delhaize, a publicly listed company headquartered in the Netherlands.
Is Food Lion American or Dutch?
Food Lion originated in the United States in 1957, but it is owned today by Ahold Delhaize, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. So Food Lion is an American-origin brand under Dutch ownership.
Since when has Ahold Delhaize owned Food Lion?
Ahold Delhaize has owned Food Lion since 24 July 2016.
Who owned Food Lion before Ahold Delhaize?
Food Lion was an independent company from its founding in 1957 in Salisbury, North Carolina until Ahold Delhaize acquired it in 2016.
Is Food Lion still owned by Ahold Delhaize?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Food Lion is still owned by Ahold Delhaize. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. Annual Report 2025 — Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., Annual report, published 25 February 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.