Exhibit 99.2


For Immediate Release                       Contact: Charles H. Crockett
May 31, 2000                                          (207) 885-2349

          HANNAFORD ANNOUNCES THE CLOSING OF THIRTEEN SOUTHEAST STORES

(SCARBOROUGH,  ME)---  Hannaford Bros. Co.  (NYSE-HRD)  announced today that the
company  plans to close 13 stores in the  Southeast.  Those include eight in the
Charlotte, North Carolina market as well as two locations in Fayetteville, North
Carolina and one each in Wallace,  Lumberton,  and Rocky Mount,  North Carolina.
Retail employees at those sites will be offered  employment  opportunities  with
area Food Lion  stores.  The stores will be closing  during the week ending June
10, 2000.

 "This decision was a difficult one to make," said Hugh G. Farrington, President
and CEO of Hannaford.  "We value our  relationships  with our associates and the
communities in which we do business.  We evaluated all of our options  carefully
before coming to the conclusion that we had to take this action at this time."

     In a separate  announcement,  Delhaize  America,  Inc. (NYSE: DZA, DZB) and
Hannaford  Bros. Co. (NYSE:  HRD) today announced the submittal of a divestiture

plan to the Federal Trade  Commission for its  consideration  and approval.  The
submission of the proposal is a required step for obtaining  regulatory approval
of the acquisition of Hannaford by Delhaize America.

The divestiture plan includes  agreements for the sale of 38 Hannaford stores in
Virginia and North Carolina. Twenty Virginia stores will be sold to an affiliate
of Cincinnati-based  Kroger Co.  Winston-Salem-based  Lowe's Foods will purchase
twelve  Hannaford  stores and one site  under  construction  in North  Carolina.
Another  five  North  Carolina  stores  will be sold  to  Richlands,  N.C.-based
Sylvester/Floyd Group, which operates 26 Piggly Wiggly-affiliated  supermarkets.
The three buyers will provide employment opportunities for store employees.

The  divestiture  sales are  contingent  on FTC  approval of Delhaize  America's
pending $3.6  billion  merger with  Hannaford.  Hannaford  and Delhaize  America
believe their divestiture plan fully addresses the antitrust concerns identified
by the FTC  staff  in its  review  of the  Hannaford  transaction.  Following  a
favorable  review of the divestiture  plan, the acquisition  will be reviewed by
the FTC  Commissioners for their approval.  Delhaize and Hannaford  anticipate a
closing date on the Hannaford merger prior to August 1, 2000.

Following the merger,  Hannaford  will become the third banner owned by Delhaize
America,  the  parent  company  of  Salisbury,  N.C.-based  Food Lion and Tampa,
FL-based Kash n' Karry.

Founded  in  1883,   Hannaford  will  retain  its  corporate   headquarters   in
Scarborough,  Maine.  The company will own and operate 104  supermarket and food
and drug combination stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and
New York once the merger is complete. Its web site is www.hannaford.com.