King of Food Lion managers takes top Delhaize prize

Food Lion store manager Charles Inman got a big surprise on Monday when some folks from the Brussels-based home office of parent company Delhaize Group showed up at his store.



Inman was selected from more than 3,400 Delhaize Group store managers to receive the company’s Store Manager of the Year award and company officials decided to surprise Inman with a ceremony at his store in Clayton, N.C.



“Charles is an excellent leader in his store, in the community and across our company," said Beth Newlands Campbell, president of the 1,100 unit Food Lion division of Delhaize. "He is an incredibly humble leader who inspires his team to deliver outstanding service to our customers, ensuring they are top of mind with everyone who works in his store. Charles continuously helps shoppers and praises associates for a job well done. He is also highly regarded as a strong developer of talent across the organization."



The award he received is based on a number of areas, including financial performance, operational excellence, people management and Delhaize Group values such as integrity, determination, courage, humility and humor.



Inman joined Food Lion in 2002 as a cashier, and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including produce manager, office manager and assistant store manager.



He was named Food Lion’s store manager of the year and that distinction put him in contention for the parent company’s manager of the year honors.