Food Lion expanding its Hispanic stores conversion

It's been about a year since Food Lion started its experiment with stores aimed at Hispanic shoppers, and it appears to have been a success. The company recently told the North Carolina News & Observer that it's converting 50 more stores to the new format.

Using the branding message of "Sabor Latino" ("Latin flavor"), the stores take aim at Hispanic shoppers both through in-store messaging and television ads.

Along with significantly bulked-up selections of dry goods such as beans, tortillas and spices, the stores also carry cuts of meat and produce items popular with Hispanic shoppers.

A company executive said converted stores start to make a positive impact on sales within one week of their launch.