I wouldn’t call Food Lion upscale at all. Their newest stores have more variety and a more appealing design and layout, but they’re really in the neighborhood of Aldi as far as price and market perception.
The one closing in Fernandina Beach Fl has been so unsuccessful, one could shoot off a machine gun in it and not ever hit anyone except an employee. It is about 1/4 mile from Publix which has about 100 times the patronage. This store has been this way for at least 15 years and I am surprised it lasted this long.
More of interest, it is an anchor store in a small strip mall to which about 10 other stores were added four years ago and which have remained vacant from day one. This strip mall seems destined to become a ghost mall soon. I wonder what bank has it on its non performing assets listing?