Food Lion opened its doors to Inman customers this morning with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Along with the grand opening festivities at its newest store, Food Lion donated a total of $1,000 to benefit local schools. Today’s grand opening featured free food and beverages, door prizes and entertainment to celebrate the new 35,000 square foot facility at 11295 Asheville Highway. Fun for children included free balloons and face painting. The local fire department’s truck and costumed character Leo the Food Lion were also on hand. Local students will benefit from the support provided at today’s grand opening check presentations. Food Lion donated $500 each to T.E. Mabry Middle School and Chapman High School. “We are excited about our new location in such a wonderful community and are proud to provide this new grocery shopping opportunity to the people of Inman,” said Tom Long, store manager. “Food Lion offers both quality products and extra low prices, and we look forward to helping new customers save money in our beautiful new store.” Gift cards went out to the first 200 customers, and more celebration will continue in the coming days at the new Inman Village Shopping Center. Live radio broadcasts from WSSL-FM and WFBC-FM will also entertain customers throughout the week. The new Food Lion store offers more than 28,000 different products and several different departments such as a produce department, a meat department, a deli-bakery and Nature’s Place, which features natural and organic products to accommodate shoppers’ dietary concerns and preferences. Shoppers can also enjoy the fresh seafood and produce and the wide selection of imported and domestic wines. The new Food Lion features convenient services like a floral section, a Coinstar machine, Western Union service, carpet cleaner rentals and a propane tank exchange. Food Lion officials say the new store’s design is similar to the recently opened Food Lion stores across the Upstate. The ten other Upstate S.C. stores also feature Food Lion’s latest internal and external design features. Food Lion customers can find their store’s specials on fresh produce, Butcher’s Brand Premium Beef®, natural and organic items, quality wines and more products throughout the store by visiting www.FoodLion.com and clicking on weekly specials. Food Lion LLC is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). Food Lion LLC operates more than 1,200 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid’s. These stores meet local customer needs and preferences for the freshest and best quality products. Food Lion LLC employs approximately 73,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.