Food Lion is a supermarket chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, operating more than 1,100 stores across 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. The company was founded in 1957 as Food Town and is today a company of Ahold Delhaize USA. [1]
Design and History
Food Lion’s current logo, introduced in May 2014, consists of a lion design in black above the words “Food” and “Lion” in blue. The mark was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 23, 2014, under registration number 4659628. [2]
The 2014 update was designed by Paris-based Minale Design Group, with input from Food Lion officials in Salisbury. According to the company, the redesigned logo recast the iconic lion in black and introduced a deeper shade of blue for the wordmark, providing “a more modern look” for the brand. [3] The company stated that the modernized logo maintained “the history and heritage of the lion and the ‘Food Lion blue.'” [4]
The logo launch accompanied a chainwide strategy announcement built around the tagline “Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day.” The rollout included store remodels beginning in the Wilmington, North Carolina area, and the new logo appeared across the grocer’s 10-state footprint in television advertising, weekly ad fliers and its website. [4]
The lion imagery predates the Food Lion name. The company was founded in 1957 as Food Town in Salisbury, North Carolina, and in 1983 Food Town officially changed its name to Food Lion. [5] The lion mascot featured in the logo, George the Food Lion, was introduced in 1983, and the design has not been altered since then besides minor color updates. The lion design was carried over from the chain’s parent company, Delhaize. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Food Lion’s official trademark filing describes the mark simply as “the design of a lion in black above the words ‘Food’ and ‘Lion’ in blue,” with black and blue claimed as features of the mark. [2] The company has publicly emphasized the heritage of the lion and the “Food Lion blue” as elements it sought to preserve in the 2014 redesign. [4]
Typography and Design
The current logo places the lion design above the wordmark, with “Food” and “Lion” rendered in blue lettering. [2] The 2014 redesign introduced a deeper shade of blue for the words while recasting the lion in black. [3]
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