SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion introduced last week what it described as the next evolution of vendor collaboration. The new model consists of two tiers: standard and gold.

Food Lion also plans to hire 4,650 associates across the 62 stores, adding to the 42,000 associates currently working for Food Lion stores in Georgia and the Carolinas, the news release said.

Yes, Food Lion, the big supermarket chain, will stay open on Friday, July 4. It will keep its usual times, that is, from 7:00 to 23:00, so folks can pick up any needed things for their July 4 meet ...