Food Lion LLC said its v.p. of retail services, Mark Messier, is getting kicked upstairs to help Delhaize corporate build a new "one-of-a-kind" cross-banner supply chain system for Delhaize Group's U.S. operating companies.

Messier gets the title of v.p. of U.S. supply chain, said Food Lion. Meanwhile, the Salisbury, N.C.-based chain will replace him with Greg Finchum, most recently director of retail labor and standards.

Messier joined Food Lion in 2001. Prior to his most recent post, he was director of deli/bakery category, and regional v.p. of operations. Before that, he worked at Hannaford Bros., Food Lion's sister New England-based chain, as store manager, grocery training specialist, coordinator of retail projects, district manager, and director of the Butner, N.C. distribution center.

Messier is also chairman of the Food Lion Charitable Foundation.

The new v.p. of retail services for food Lion, Finchum will oversee front-end services and training, retail labor management, food safety and quality assurance, standard practice enhancement, market renewal, and prototype planning, the chain said.

Finchum joined Food Lion in 1989 as a perishable manager, and held positions including store manager, project manager, district manager, and director of operations.

A subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group, Food Lion LLC operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets under the Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys, and Reid's banners, in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.