Food Lion, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Food Lion 401(k) Plan
Salisbury, NCRetail Trade82,836 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$494Employer $ per active participant
$697Employee $ saved per active participant
0.12%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.3BNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.9 / 5036th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.2 / 2537th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.8 / 1512th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score36 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 36th |
| Lower admin cost | 37th |
| Employee saving | 12th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $511 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Food Lion put in about $494 per active participant, below the typical peer ($689). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $40,943,293 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $57,744,664 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,009,435 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,419,324 |
| Contract administrator fees | $5,400 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $17,407 |
| Benefits paid out | $117,374,756 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.1B / $1.3B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 83,873 / 81,798 |
| Participants with account balances | 33,348 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Newman & Noyes LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $1,400,905 reported compensation |
| Aon Investments USA Inc. | $17,407 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008080605NAL0002841235001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 56-2173154, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.