North Carolina grocery chain to enter Pittsburgh market

Bottom Dollar Food, a discount grocer out of Salisbury, N.C., has been quietly choosing store sites around the region for the past several months.

Now, the grocer is officially confirming its plans to set up shop here, starting with 14 stores in the greater Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio, markets. Most of the stores are expected to open in early 2012, according to the company.

Locations that have been lined up include sites in Ambridge, Baldwin Borough, Bridgeville, Butler, Carnegie, Castle Shannon, McKeesport and Penn Hills, in addition to three in the Youngstown area. More sites could be added, a spokeswoman said.

Bottom Dollar Food stores will cover about 18,000 square feet, much smaller than a traditional supermarket, and compete with other discount, limited assortment players such as Aldi and Save-A-Lot.

"Customers will find Bottom Dollar Food unique because we carry private brands and the national brands that matter most, and offer a meaningful, efficient assortment of fresh produce, meat and other products," said President Meg Ham.

The chain is part of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Belgium-based Delhaize Group. Food Lion and Hannaford grocery chains are also part of Delhaize.

Bottom Dollar launched in 2005 with a store in High Point, N.C., and now has 47 stores in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It entered the Philadelphia market last year.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Teresa F. Lindeman: tlindeman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2018.

First published on July 21, 2011 at 10:08 am