Breaking News: Bi-Lo merges with Winn-Dixie

In an effort to save two struggling grocery chains, Mauldin, South Carolina-based Bi-Lo and Jacksonville, Florida-based Winn Dixie have announced a merger. Winn-Dixie retreated from the Carolinas in 2005, and Bi-Lo has downsized their footprint as well. Currently, the two stores will keep their names and consumers probably won't see many changes. More here

Rise of the Discounters

Above: Both Bottom Dollar (top) and Just $ave Foods (bottom) have corny taglines throughout their stores reminding patrons of how far their dollar will go.

With names like 'Bottom Dollar,' 'Save-A-Lot,' and 'Just $ave Foods,' discount grocers with limited assortments and no-frills shopping experiences are rapidly expanding. With the popularity of ALDI, other stores have taken off on this concept here in North Carolina:

St. Louis-based Save A Lot (a division of SuperValu) opened a distribution center in Davidson County, and has also committed to opening a store in East Greensboro's food desert. Photos of the north Greensboro location:

Walmart opened some of their first "Express" stores in North Carolina, stores that are approximately the size of a CVS or Walgreens. These express stores work in communities that are too small to support a full scale Walmart. Photos of the Richfield, NC store:

Just $ave Foods is Lowes Foods' discounter, as former some Lowes Foods stores are being converted into this format. Photos from the Graham, NC store (former Winn Dixie)

And Bottom Dollar is Food Lion's discount counterpart. Recently a large expansion was announced for this concept. Photos from the Asheboro Store (formerly Food Lion)

They even sell Hannaford Drinking Water - to differentiate between Food Lion's own brand.

East Greensboro 'Food Desert' may see new life at Bessemer Shopping Center

At the heart of east Greensboro on Phillips Avenue lies a decrepit shopping center, only anchored by a Family Dollar surrounded by two dead anchor stores. One of these stores, a now boarded up Winn-Dixie, closed in 1998 leaving the neighborhood with no grocery store within walking distance. The city of Greensboro recently poured some life into the shopping center, called Bessemer Center, by building a brand new public library branch, and now they hope to sprout some new life on the retail scene as well.

City leaders say that low traffic counts is the reason that the center hasn't seen a new store, but locals cite the blight and crime in the area to be contributing factors. However, in recent years efforts have been made to renovate housing projects and reduce crime in the neighborhood. The Winn-Dixie label scar reminds us of what used to be, but come the end of this year that may change as a new grocery store may fill this space.

What are your thoughts on what might materialize at the center? Could it be a full-line store such as Food Lion or a discounter like Save A Lot, Bottom Dollar or Just Save foods. Leave a comment below.

10/6/2011 Update: Save A Lot will move into this shopping center.

1/12/2012 Update 2: Save A Lot has pulled out of this project... we will follow up.

Trader Joe's - Cary

Trader Joe's first North Carolina store came to this former Winn-Dixie in Cary last year. The other half of it became a Staples store.

Wikipedia:

Trader Joe's describes itself as "your unique grocery store". Products sold at "TJ's" include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian food, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine, "alternative" food items, and basics like bread, cereal, eggs, and produce. Some non-food items, including personal hygiene products, household cleaners, vitamins, pet food, and plants and flowers, are also available. Many of the company's products are considered environmentally friendly.^[9]

Trader Joe's sells many items from any of several of its own private labels. Such labels are quirkily named by the ethnicity of the food in question, such as Trader Jose's (Mexican food), Trader Ming's (Chinese food), Baker Josef's (bagels), Trader Giotto's (Italian food), Trader Joe-San (Japanese food), Trader Johann's (lip balm), and Trader Darwin's (vitamins).

Trader Joe's is also known as the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw wine, popularly known as Two Buck Chuck^[9] because of its $1.99 a bottle price in California (although in some locales it sells for over $3 a bottle, due to varying state liquor taxes and transportation costs).

Grocerying in Burlington and Winston-Salem

It's time for some Triad Grocerying! These photos are from Winston-Salem, Burlington and Gibsonville (NC).

Lowes Foods - Winston-Salem
This store is located at Robinhood and Peace Haven Roads in the Mount Tabor area of Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem is Lowes Foods' home turf and so many of the stores there have the older prototype look to them.

Harris Teeter - Winston-Salem
This HT store is just across the street from the Lowes Foods mentioned above. It has a newer look with the domes on top which are pretty rare to see.

Wal-Mart Supercenter, Burlington
This is the primary Wal-Mart store serving the Burlington and Elon areas.

Super Kmart Center - Burlington
Despite being a dying breed, this K-mart seems to be alive and kicking as a supercenter. Even as competition is increasing in the area. (Greensboro also has Super K-mart).

This Harris Teeter store opened last year after it relocated from its old location across the street. The store it is currently in used to be a Winn-Dixie, and Harris Teeter's old store is now a Gold's Gym.

One of the older styles of Lowes Foods, this was once a Byrd's Grocery Store before Lowes Foods took over them in the 90s.

Grocerying in east Lincoln and Gaston counties, NC

Food Lion - Stanley, NC

Bi-Lo, Stanley, NC

Harris Teeter, Lincolnton (Boger City), NC

[Former] Winn-Dixie, Lincolnton (Boger City), NC

Harris Teeter, Denver (Westport), NC

Food Lion, Denver (Westport), NC

Before & After: Food Lion, Plaza-Midwood

This store is one of Charlotte's older grocery stores, however it hasn't always been a Food Lion. According to the tax site and Groceteria, the store opened in 1960 originally as a Winn-Dixie. Winn Dixie closed in 1987, and in 1991 Food Lion moved in. The store, still with its narrow parking lot, serves customers in Charlotte's Plaza-Midwood, Country Club and NoDa neighborhoods. It is also the closest Food Lion store to Uptown Charlotte. There is approximately 36,000 square feet of shopping space inside and the before and after reflects the upgrades that were made to the store over the past couple of years.

Changes coming to Rock Hill's grocerying scene

[Photo Credit: Rock Hill Herald]
More good news for Rock Hill's Cherry Road area. First there was the announcement of a Super Bi-Lo store coming to the former Rock Hill Mall, which has been vacant and abandoned for years. Now, the former Harris Teeter on Cherry Road could become an Earth Fare store, bringing organics and variety to the market. Additionally, Compare Foods - which focuses on the international and Latino market - is coming to the old Winn-Dixie. It's a good thing to see these boxes being filled!

Harris Teeter at Charlotte's Cotswold Village and Raleigh's Lassiter Mill

Harris Teeter Cotswold

November 2006 (After):
November 2005 (Before):

One of Charlotte's oldest Harris Teeter stores, open since the early 1960s, has gotten a facelift. It is also one of the highest-grocing stores in the area. A beautiful store part of Cotswold Village Shops in Southeast Charlotte. Although the red crosshatching pattern on the windows will be missed, it is nice to see this store's renovation. There is new brick on the exterior, and it resembles the store at Lassiter Mill in Raleigh (see below) The original picture of the store above was taken on Thanksgiving Day (of the pre-remodel store) so that's why there are no cars in the lot, otherwise it's be packed as it is in the post-remodel photo.

Update: Interior Photos, Feb. 2009: Notice the similar style of the ceiling in the bakery/produce section, and the use of drop ceilings only found in older Harris Teeter stores these days.

Harris Teeter at Lassiter Mill Shopping Center, Raleigh, NC: (Feb. 2005)

This store which looks similar to the one in Cotswold was remodeled in 2002 as a part of the whole North Hills revitalization, a few miles north of downtown Raleigh. Here is a picture of the store from 1995, courtesy the Wake County Tax Website. I'm not 100% sure the store was a Harris Teeter in 1995 because it's hard to read exactly what the sign says although it does look like one, but i'm sure someone will know for sure. Edit: Steven says it was formerly a Winn-Dixie store.

1995:

Update: As of 2010, Harris Teeter's Lassiter Mill store has closed and relocated to a two-level location across the street in the new North Hills expansion.

Winn Dixie - Forest Oaks, Greensboro

After sitting vacant for over a year, it was recently announced that this former Winn Dixie in the Forest Oaks Community will become a Food Lion. A major boon to the residents who have been trying to get a grocer in the area for a long time, and a debacle going on with the city over the sewer system and the not so fickle developer. The photo was taken last year in the final days before the store shut down. To put it into perspective, the closest grocery store is approx. 8 miles away for the Forest Oaks Community.

12.8.06 Edit: http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=91973&SecID=2
The Winn Dixie caught ablaze on 10/5; no new word on the Food Lion either.

Winn Dixie - McMullen Creek Marketplace

This Winn-Dixie, along with all the other Winn Dixies in the Carolinas, shut down last summer. Winn Dixie had a big impact on the Charlotte market throughout its history, but never could become the #1 grocer in the city. This store near Pineville was originally built in 1987. Drug Emporium used to also be in this shopping center where Dollar Tree/Rugged Warehouse are today.
(Pic via screenshot from WCNC)