Report: Delhaize looks to sell off Sweetbay and Harveys units

New York -- A Reuters report citing unnamed sources said that Belgian grocer Delhaize is looking to sell its U.S.-based Sweetbay and Harveys units as the Food Lion parent looks to ramp up cost-cutting efforts here.



The sources told Reuters that Delhaize has retained Lazard Ltd. to sell off the two supermarket businesses. CEO Pierre-Olivier Beckers said the company was looking at options for the units, but didn’t comment directly on whether advisors had been appointed to conduct the sale.



"This is a question on the table at the moment," he told Reuters.



Harveys operates 73 supermarkets in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, and Sweetbay has 105 stores in Florida.