Whole Foods coming to South Charlotte

Grocerying speculated on its twitter page last year that Whole Foods would open a location in South Charlotte at Ardrey Kell Road and Providence Road.  Fast forward half a year, and the organic an natural foods supermarket has announced it will open a 40,000 square foot store off of Providence Road in a new development called Waverly, just south of Interstate 485.

This will be the third Whole Foods Market in the Charlotte area, after the SouthPark location adjacent to Phillips Place, and a new location going into a soon to be former Food Lion in Huntersville, next to Birkdale Village.

The Providence Road Whole Foods Market is set to open in 2016.

Charlotte's Whole Foods set to open August 29

The highly anticipated opening of Charlotte's first Whole Foods Market store is August 29th, just in time for the Democratic National Convention.  The store is located off of Fairview Road, near SouthPark Mall and next to Phillips Place shopping center.  It will feature an underground parking garage and a cart escalator.

Local competition includes the flagship Harris Teeter store, the Earth Fare store at Morrison, and The Fresh Market at Strawberry Hill.  Other recent Whole Foods Markets that have opened in North Carolina include a Greensboro store in April and a Wilmington store in June.

Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods plan major shakeup in Charlotte and western NC

Breaking News: Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods are swapping stores in the Charlotte region and in Asheville.  We are working on the story, here are the stores that effected:

Harris Teeter stores converting to Lowes Foods

401 Cox Rd, Gastonia

1751 Neil Hawkins Rd, Gastonia

1145 E Marion St, Shelby

3010 N Center St, Hickory

210 Avery Ave, Morganton

Biltmore Center Parkway, Asheville

Lowes Foods converting to Harris Teeter

11124 Reniassance Dr, Davidson

17001 Kenton Dr, Cornelius

13018 Eastfield Rd, Huntersville

8445 Davis Lake Parkway, Charlotte

5939 Weddington-Monroe Rd, Wesley Chapel

15080 Idlewild Rd, Stallings

7036 Brighton Park Dr, Mint Hill

16045 Johnston Rd, Charlotte

10828 Providence Rd, Charlotte

867 Stockbridge Dr, Ft Mill

Harris Teeter plans reinvention for Plaza-Midwood store

Above: What the site will look like in 2013. Below: what the site looks like today, via Streetview.

Harris Teeter's store, in Charlotte's Plaza-Midwood neighborhood, is in store for some major changes. The current store is 29,000 square feet, and will expand to a 48,400 square foot store, similar to the new Harris Teeter planned for Myers Park/Eastover. Also similar to the new Myers Park/Eastover store, the Plaza-Midwood store will front the streetside of Central Avenue and The Plaza. The Plaza-Midwood Harris Teeter will be more modern and blend with the neighborhood in its design, taking cues from Washington D.C.'s Adams Morgan store. Additionally, the store will feature a green roof.


Store History:
Although this store is often regarded as the "first" Harris Teeter store, it is a relocation of the first Harris Supermarket, which opened in 1938 in a former A&P in the 1500 block of Central Avenue. In 1950, the store relocated to its current location a few blocks down to 1704 Central Avenue. It was not until 1960 when the Harris and Teeter supermarkets combined to make Harris Teeter.

See more photos of the site plan & rendering via Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Partners.

Update See photos from this store's closing day, June 5th, 2012.

The store will reopen in 2013.
 

Publix eyes 2012 opening for Charlotte-area stores

Previously on Grocerying, we talked about Publix entering the Charlotte market through a site just south of the N.C.-S.C. state line in Tega Cay, in York County, South Carolina. Now it looks like the Lakeland, Florida-based grocer is securing a second site in the neighboring Lancaster County, South Carolina community of Indian Land, just south of the Charlotte city limit. The Charlotte Business Journal is reporting that the second Publix in the Charlotte region will be in a development called Cross Creek Center off Hwy 521 at Doby's Bridge Road. The grocer anticipates its Charlotte area stores will open in October of 2012.

The intriguing portion of Publix' entry into the Charlotte market is that their stores will remain below the state line for the foreseeable future. We have to wonder if this has to do with saturation of similar mid-to-upscale market retailers such as Harris Teeter and Lowe's Foods already in the immediate Charlotte region. In addition to South Carolina, Publix has stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. More to come as this develops.

Bloom withers in the Carolinas

Food Lion's upscale counterpart Bloom will no longer be a fixture of the grocerying scene in the Charlotte region and in the Upstate of South Carolina. Delhaize America, parent company of Bloom and Food Lion, has announced that the Bloom stores in these two regions will convert to Food Lion stores over the course of the spring. There are currently 16 Bloom stores in the Carolinas: nine in the Charlotte region and eight in the Upstate. 15 of these stores will be converted to Food Lion, and one store in Mauldin, S.C. will close. Bloom currently has 65 stores in total, most of which are in the Washington, D.C. metro area and Hampton Roads area.

It doesn't come as a surprise that Delhaize has decided to convert its Bloom stores in the Carolinas to Food Lion, as Food Lion is a more established brand in this region. Additionally, last year we reported that Bloom's proposed expansion to the Triangle wouldn't happen after all and those stores opened as Food Lion. It will be interesting to watch the impact that the branding change has on the local grocery market. Bloom opened its first store in Charlotte in 2004. In addition to Food Lion and Bloom, grocery stores operated by Delhaize Group in the United States include Hannaford, Harvey's, Bottom Dollar, Reid's and Sweetbay.

Image courtesy Core/Centdev

Myers Park/Eastover Harris Teeter Expanding to Two Levels

New Store
Harris Teeter announced it will expand its store at the infamous Charlotte intersection of Providence and Queens Roads to two levels encompassing 42,000 square feet total. The store, at 1015 Providence Road, is located at the intersection of the two wealthiest neighborhoods in Charlotte: Myers Park and Eastover, one of many factors that make this store prime for expansion. Its current size at 20,000 square feet sets it as an express store, and a tight parking lot, simply isn't large enough to serve the community. Ever since neighboring Myers Park Hardware shut its doors, speculation began to build as to when Harris Teeter would expand its store. Initially thought to be a upfit of the current street-side location, we've learned that the store will be demolished for a brand new store on the back side of the lot.

Two-story Trend
In recent years, Harris Teeter has been experimenting with two level stores. Raleigh recently got a two level Harris Teeter in the North Hills expansion, which replaced the store at Lassiter Mill. Additionally, the Washington, D.C. metro area has many stores that have a second level as well, and these stores tend to include items such as a pharmacy. Charlotte's Uptown Harris Teeter includes a small second level for wine selections.

Historic Store
As we mentioned, the current store is around 20,000 square feet and it originally opened as an A&P supermarket in 1938 according to tax records. Harris Teeter took over the store when A&P left the market in 1997 and later expanded to the Ethan's Townhouse Restaurant next door. Due to its size, the chain labeled it as the first (and only) "Harris Teeter Express." It should be noted that this store is the oldest continuously operating grocery store location in Charlotte.


Rendering courtesy of Harris Teeter, Map provided by Bing Maps
Photos taken in 2004. Blog post updated on 2/18/2011.

Whole Foods coming to Charlotte and Greensboro

Whole Foods Market sent an unexpected shocker through the grocery world, especially for North Carolina's retail scene. The leading chain of natural and organic grocery stores announced plans for a 42,000 square foot store in Charlotte and a 34,000 square foot store in Greensboro. Both stores are scheduled to open in 2012.

Charlotte
Last year, Grocerying published an article called "Will Charlotte ever get a Whole Foods Market?" Needless to say, this is the most popular post on the blog, garnering opinionated comments and conjecture as to why Whole Foods still did not have a Charlotte location. Now Whole Foods Market is set to build a store in the SouthPark area near Philips Place Shopping Center. The new development will be called Ashley Park, on the site of the Allen Tate property and part of the former Live Oak public housing. The store, once opened, is poised to be a major draw for the region. People have commented that they've driven to stores in Greenville, South Carolina and Winston-Salem to get their Whole Foods fix. The store will be 42,000 square feet, somewhat smaller than the original Whole Foods proposed for Charlotte, which was 55,000 square feet. The store will include an underground parking garage.

Greensboro
The Greensboro store will occupy part of the current Sears store at Friendly Center. Sears at Friendly Center has been open since 1973, with no exterior remodel since its opening. It currently is the largest store in the shopping center, occupying 163,941 square feet, according to tax records. Interestingly, Sears will be reconfigured so that Whole Foods' exterior faces Pembroke Avenue. The store will be smaller than the Charlotte store, at 34,000 square feet, but larger than the other Whole Foods Market in the Triad, which is in Winston-Salem. It will be interesting to see if Sears and Whole Foods develop a synergy and see cross-shoppers. The idea of Whole Foods taking space in Sears, and having Sears reconfigure, seems like a green and efficient idea rather than building a brand new store.

Location Location Location
Although the announcement of both stores may come as a surprise, their respective locations are not as surprising. SouthPark in Charlotte and Friendly Center in Greensboro are the prime upscale shopping destinations in these cities, so it makes sense that Whole Foods would go great lengths to put stores in these retail districts. In addition, all the other current Whole Foods Markets in North Carolina are open as a result of buyout of Wellspring Markets (or Greenlife Grocery in Asheville). So these locations were predetermined by their previous owner, not Whole Foods Markets. The only other new planned Whole Foods store in the state is coming to North Raleigh next year. Charlotte's store is located down the street from competition Earth Fare and the flagship Harris Teeter store. Other specialty markets in the area include The Fresh Market, Dean & Deluca and Reid's Fine Foods. In Greensboro, Friendly Center is home to Harris Teeter's largest store in the region, just a stones throw from where Sears is and Whole Foods will be.

Impact
The impact of Whole Foods Market will be interesting. In Greensboro, Whole Foods has been only a 30-minute drive away, not terribly far. In Charlotte, many fans of the store have been on a roller coaster of wondering if the store will come or not. With announcements of a 2004 store in Elizabeth and 2006 store in another part of SouthPark falling through, people were left hanging and without any answers. The speculation continued and spurred grassroots efforts through the internet to lure the store to the Queen City. Looks like it worked... and for those of you speculating that Whole Foods Market would not locate in the "home turf" of another supermarket (Harris Teeter/Charlotte; Fresh Market/Greensboro), these announcements may just debunk that theory.

Publix eyeing Charlotte (again)

Previously we speculated that either Publix or Kroger would enter the Charlotte market through a buyout of Bi-Lo store locations. Now, The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Publix is poised to enter the market through a location just south of Charlotte and the NC/SC state line in Tega Cay. If Publix does pursue this location, it would be the first time a major non-specialty chain grocer entered the market since Lowes Foods did in 2005. It should be noted that this is not the first time Publix has tried to enter the Charlotte market, they previously scouted sites in 1993 and 1994.
The closest Publix stores are currently in the Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg areas of South Carolina. The effort from Publix to expand in Charlotte may be seen as gutsy, as Harris Teeter continues its reign on its home market, and Food Lion continues to expand its namesake store and Bloom concept store. Read the full article from The Charlotte Business Journal.

Could Kroger and/or Publix be headed to Charlotte?

Reuters is reporting that Mauldin, S.C.-based Bi-Lo is up for sale again. If you recall, last year Food Lion was announced as a potential bidder for Bi-Lo until Lone Star Funds, Bi-Lo's parent company, announced that Bi-Lo was no longer for sale. The chain has been teetering on highs and lows, while expanding their stores in some markets such as Columbia they have completely pulled out of other markets like the Triad after selling their stores to the failed Southern Family Markets. Reuters reports that Bi-Lo emerged from bankruptcy in March of this year.

Kroger and Publix are reportedly the top contenders for Bi-Lo. If this is the case, it brings the potential for Publix to enter the Charlotte market and for Kroger to reenter the market. However, we're not sure if this exactly will happen as it might be more likely and logical for grocery stores that are currently in the market to take over stores, most notably stores that already have: Food Lion/Bloom, Super G Mart, Compare Foods. Bi-Lo has closed a number of stores in the Charlotte region in recent times, two on Independence Boulevard, one in Dilworth and one on Little Rock Road to name a few. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what continues to unfold in the Bi-Lo saga.

Reuters Article

Grocerying News Updates

Danville's Harris Teeter Closing in March

Last summer, Grocerying had the chance to visit Danville, Virginia and a Harris Teeter that we dubbed "the store that time forgot." As the news of its closing comes as little surprise, it is a blow to the already economically depressed Danville. Danville's grocerying scene now consists of Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Aldi, Wal-Mart Supercenter and a few small independents. In recent years Danville has also lost a Kroger, although Kroger still has a presence in nearby Martinsville. The closest Harris Teeter stores will now be in Greensboro, where some employees are transferring to and some customers say they will make the drive. It is worth noting that when we wrote the piece last year we predicted that the Danville store would not last much longer. Read more from the Danville Register & Bee

Wal-Mart now leads the Charlotte market

Wal-Mart has dethroned Harris Teeter as grocery market leader, according to an article published in today's Charlotte Observer. This comes as no surprise either as the Charlotte area's grocerying scene has changed immensely. We've seen stores leave (Winn-Dixie), new stores arrive (Lowes Foods) and a rise in specialty chains (Trader Joe's, Aldi, Compare Foods, Earth Fare) and of course supercenters (Wal-Mart, Target). Aside from Wal-Mart, in terms of number of stores Harris Teeter still dominates the northern and southern end of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, while Food Lion dominates the eastern and western portions. Get the full story from The Charlotte Observer and check out their graphic.

Bi-Lo's Woes & New Strategies

On the heels of Bi-Lo's Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization and almost buyout by Food Lion, the South Carolina based grocery chain is trying a new strategy. The company has struggled to make a niche for itself as a mid-market grocer, so now they are banking on customer loyalty. Bi-Lo has partnered with area BP gas stations to promote usage of Bi-Lo's BonusCard for a program called Fuelperks. Read more about Fuelperks from The Charlotte Business Journal.

In other Bi-Lo news, two Charlotte area stores are slated for closing. Bi-Lo's store on Little Rock Road, which was a former Winn-Dixie, will close in March as will their store in Indian Trail off Independence Boulevard. WCCB-TV Fox Charlotte did a story on how anchor tenant Bi-Lo's closing causes a ripple effect throughout the shopping center hurting the smaller businesses.

Greensboro's Super G Mart headed to Charlotte

International foods retailer Super G Mart, which has a popular store in western Greensboro's international shopping center Fanta City, is opening a store in southeast Charlotte in the former Bi-Lo store at Independence Square. This comes as the success of similar food retailers have opened on this side of town, such as Compare Foods which took over the former Harris Teeter a couple miles north on Independence Boulevard. As the east side of Charlotte's population changes, grocery stores realize they must cater to the market that they serve.

Check out photos and more information of Greensboro's Super G Mart via the Greensboro News & Record.

Bi-Lo closing in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, to be replaced by Bloom store

The Bi-Lo store at Dilworth Crossing in Charlotte, at the corner of Park Road and Ideal Way, is set to close this week after serving the Dilworth Community since 1988. But the history of the store dates back to a few years prior, when residents were engaged in a debate as to whether a grocery store should be built in their neighborhood or not. The Kroger Company wanted to build a store in this historic streetcar suburb, thus spurring the phrase "No Krogering In Dilworth." A photograph of the sign can be seen here. Prior to Bi-Lo's renovation of the store, the Dilworth store was one of Kroger's classic"greenhouse" style stores. You can still find the remnants of Kroger Greenhouse style stores around Charlotte these days converted into something else.

Currently, the Bi-Lo store encompasses around 45,000 square feet, and the interior seems like it was remodeled in the mid-to-late 90s but Grocerying does not officially know when the updates took place. The store also has been patroned by residents not only in Dilworth, but residents of the Wilmore community and other lower income areas, respectively, near I-77 for whom the store has provided as an alternative to neighborhood stores and the lack of having a full size grocery store in their immediate area. Bi-Lo has noted that the closing of their Dilworth store is not related to their recent filing for bankruptcy protection. According to the Charlotte Observer, the reason for Bi-Lo's departure from Dilworth is due to terms in their lease agreement, as the owner of the center wants to bring in a store that would better suit the neighborhood, which over the last 20 years has gone through a redevelopment of sorts of its own.

Many feel that Bi-Lo has struggled to find a niche, especially in the Charlotte market, as their stores in the lower-to-middle end are closing and as the concept of Super Bi-Lo is being tested in the market. Because the Bi-Lo store in Dilworth is in a prime location in what some may call a trendy neighborhood, the store will not sit vacant for long. Bloom, the "high tech" and more upscale market run by Food Lion, will construct a 55,000 square foot location in its space. Grabbing the location is a real boon for Bloom. Currently, their stores are on the fringes of the Charlotte area, and this will be their first real in-town location in south Charlotte, a region of town that is dominated by Harris Teeter. The Bloom store is scheduled to open by the end of the year.

More photos of the interior and exterior of the store:




The sign reads: "Our Park Road Bi-Lo will be closing on 4-25 Saturday at 7 p.m. We have enjoyed serving the community since 1988 and hnope you visit us at our other Charlotte locations. Thank you"

UPDATE: This store has been converted to a Food Lion.

Compare Foods - Independence Shopping Center

Compare Foods came onto the North Carolina grocerying scene a few years ago, and its popularity is undeniable. The store caters to a more ethnic crowd, particularly Latinos, but their stores are popular amongst all backgrounds. The store generally does not build new buildings, but is very green and economical in its efforts to re-use former grocery stores, such as the former Winn Dixie in Rock Hill. Patrons have stated to Grocerying that the value, freshness and variety of food makes it a unique fixture on the scene. The interesting thing about their stores is that they also reuse fixtures that were generally left in place from the previous store, and not only that, but are one of the few grocers to showcase their stores via photos on their websites. So if you remember what a mid-90s Harris Teeter looked like, these photos are almost like having a flashback to the signs. The Harris Teeter at Independence Shopping Center (Independence Boulevard-Hwy 74 at Idlewild Road in East Charlotte) was one of the oldest operating stores in the chain, built in 1970 and enjoyed a 35 year run closing in 2005. The store size today is approximately 40,000 square feet. Compare Foods has other Carolinas locations in the aforementioned Rock Hill, and additionally in the Triad and Triangle. See more photos inside the store via Compare Foods' website here.

(Harris Teeter photo via Charlotte Mecklenburg Real Estate Lookup; Compare Foods photo via CompareSupermarkets.com)


Update: As of early 2012, this store has closed.

Future Lowes Foods - Wesley Chapel, NC

This Lowes Foods is under construction in Union County, North Carolina in Wesley Chapel, roughly between the historic town of Waxhaw, the county seat of Monroe and the suburban Weddington. It will be Lowes Foods' second store in Union County, the first being in Stallings just across the Mecklenburg County line at I-485 and Idlewild Road. The store is a significant symbol of Northern and Western Union County's rapid growth, due to its proximity to Charlotte, lower taxes and school system. The area has seen other big developments pop up, particularly at the intersection where this Lowes Foods is going -- there is a Harris Teeter across the street, and a new Target shopping center diagonally across from the Lowes Foods. Additionally, Waxhaw has seen major development come their way with a new medical center and shopping center including a Lowe's Home Improvement store. Grocerying will get an update of this store when it is complete, as the exterior design of the store is an interesting one.

Will Charlotte ever get a Whole Foods Market?

(Above, Whole Foods' original proposed rendering for store in Charlotte's Elizbaeth neighborhood)

November 2010 Update: Charlotte is scheduled to get a Whole Foods Market in 2012. Read more about it here.

Original story:

In 2004, Charlotteans who'd been long-hoping for a Whole Foods to land in Charlotte were delighted to hear that Grubb Properties' Elizabeth Avenue redevelopment project would include the area's first store, at the corner of Hawthorne Lane and Elizabeth Avenue. However, this never happened and at this point Fresh Market will occupy at least part of that space. Regardless, Charlotteans that wanted a Whole Foods weren't entirely disheartened because the chain had announced a second location in SouthPark, directly across the street from Morocroft Harris Teeter and the Morrison Earth Fare on the site of the Colony Apartments.

On last check though, both Charlotte locations have disappeared from Whole Foods' Stores in Development section. The demographics in Charlotte are definitely prime for a Whole Foods Market, especially considering if at one point the grocer wanted to put two stores in town. But the underlying issue keeps us and our readers questioning the store and wondering why there isn't one in town as there seem to be many viable locations and options for them to open a store.

(Above: Whole Foods locations across the Carolinas)

Whole Foods Market does have other store locations in North Carolina: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill and Winston-Salem. All of these stores were previously a grocery store called Wellspring, which Whole Foods later took over. Additionally they have stores in Greenville and Mount Pleasant (Charleston) in South Carolina. It leaves us to beg the question is Whole Foods waiting to find the "perfect" location or are there greater forces at work to leave this black whole in Charlotte.

(Store photos via WholeFoods.com, Whole Foods Elizabeth Rendering via Little Architecture)

Grocerying at Harris Teeter's flagship store: Morrocroft Village

Exterior Photo taken Thanksgiving Day, 2005
Interior Photos taken December 23, 2008

Harris Teeter's Morrocroft Village Flagship Store in Charlotte's SouthPark is the largest store in the entire chain, according to the Mecklenburg County Tax Website it encompasses over 72,000 square feet -- rivaling the size of the HT store at Greensboro's Shops at Friendly Center. The Morrocroft store opened in 1992, replacing the old Harris Teeter at SouthPark Mall, and was created to be a new generation of Harris Teeter flagship stores. Indeed - at the time, especially - Charlotte hadn't seen a grocery store like this and it gained notiriety and the nickname as the original "Taj-Ma-Teeter." Today it is still thriving as one of the busiest stores in Charlotte and one of the busiest HT's in the entire chain.

Also, although Harris Teeter didn't last in Atlanta (to the dismay of many), their initial success was credited to Harris Teeter's Morocroft design. See related article: HT Success in Atlanta began at Morrocroft.

Update: Our friend Pat (of Charlotte Eats and Charlotte Ads) has graciously provided this photo of the Morrocroft store from 1992, noting that a renovation in the late 90s changed this section:
Update 2:
More photos (via cameraphone)

Bi-Lo Independence Square Update

We've recently learned that the Bi-Lo store at Charlotte's Independence Square on Independence Boulevard has closed. This is the latest store to close on a quickly deteriorating "corridor of crap" where everything is seemingly moving south on US 74, or to the Uptown/Midtown area, leaving a black hole in between. The Steve & Barry's store, which took over the former Super K-mart Center on Independence Boulevard is closing as well, soon to leave another big empty 200,000 square foot store.

Trader Joe's at The Arbors

Trader Joe's quick expansion into the Carolinas is evident: they now have 3 stores in the Charlotte region, including the one pictured above at Mallard Creek Church's Arbors in the University City section of Charlotte. Their other two locations in the Queen City include Rea Road in the Ballantyne & Piper Glen area of Southern Mecklenburg County, and one just outside Charlotte's uptown region in Midtown (pictured below). Additionally, they have stores in Cary serving the Raleigh area, and a store in Chapel Hill serving Orange and Durham counties and the surrounding areas, as TJ's is popular with the college students as well. Now, Trader Joe's has announced its first South Carolina location will be going in Greenville, bringing TJ's to the Upstate. We wonder who could be next... The Triad & Greensboro perhaps? Hopefully... stay tuned!

New Trader Joe's - Midtown, Charlotte

Opening Soon!