Wegmans Woes in North Carolina

[storewanderer]

They seem to want to go after Harris Teeter.

[BatteryMill]

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charl ... 6R6ITY4V4/

It appears that Wegman's is giving expansion in North Carolina another go, as they have just announced what will be their first store in Charlotte. This will be located in the south part of Charlotte in the Ballantyne neighborhood, near I-485 and the NC/SC border.

Hopefully distribution issues will be sorted out by then. Interestingly this may not be Wegmans' first attempt at Charlotte - I have heard rumors they were considering a site at nearby Rea Farms that was ultimately outbid by Harris Teeter.

They seem to want to go after Harris Teeter.

Does make sense since Harris Teeter has built numerous large-format stores, and Wegmans has intertwined heavily with them in places like the Triangle and Northern Virginia.

[mjhale]

They seem to want to go after Harris Teeter.

Does make sense since Harris Teeter has built numerous large-format stores, and Wegmans has intertwined heavily with them in places like the Triangle and Northern Virginia.

Is it true that the Harris Teeter stores in NC are more upscale with a much greater prepared foods focus than the H-T stores in the DC area. I seem to recall discussion here on Retailwatchers along these lines back when Wegmans originally started into NC.

[Brian Lutz]

I have no basis for comparison between DC and NC Harris Teeter stores, but within NC they have a fair bit of upscale competition in stores that focus heavily on perimeter departments like Publix, Fresh Market and some of the newer Lowes stores (plus the handful of Wegmans stores in the Triangle.) I'd put the Harris Teeter stores I've seen around here at around Fresh Fare level compared to other Kroger stores, and they do tend to have things like salad bars, self-serve Chinese food, pizza and sushi. A lot of the stores also have seating areas in the front. Probably not to the level of something like a Publix or Whole Foods store, but certainly more than you're going to find at something like a Walmart or Food Lion.

Oddly enough, Harris Teeter does not exist at all in on the Virginia side of the border, where the few cities in Southern Virginia big enough to warrant them have Kroger branded stores instead.

[BatteryMill]

I have no basis for comparison between DC and NC Harris Teeter stores, but within NC they have a fair bit of upscale competition in stores that focus heavily on perimeter departments like Publix, Fresh Market and some of the newer Lowes stores (plus the handful of Wegmans stores in the Triangle.) I'd put the Harris Teeter stores I've seen around here at around Fresh Fare level compared to other Kroger stores, and they do tend to have things like salad bars, self-serve Chinese food, pizza and sushi. A lot of the stores also have seating areas in the front. Probably not to the level of something like a Publix or Whole Foods store, but certainly more than you're going to find at something like a Walmart or Food Lion.

Oddly enough, Harris Teeter does not exist at all in on the Virginia side of the border, where the few cities in Southern Virginia big enough to warrant them have Kroger branded stores instead.

Harris Teeter was previously in these areas following their purchase of several Big Star stores. They, however, swapped most of those with Kroger in a store swap, where HT took their future corporate parent's Piedmont Triad locations.

Is it true that the Harris Teeter stores in NC are more upscale with a much greater prepared foods focus than the H-T stores in the DC area. I seem to recall discussion here on Retailwatchers along these lines back when Wegmans originally started into NC.

None of the more lavish concepts or the large-format layout has been opened outside the Carolinas. I do believe your average HT is pretty much the same across both areas but, like I've said, with less bells and whistles and perhaps less maintenance.

Back to Wegmans - seems like the Ashland distribution center is nearing completion, and I've been hearing that this will continue Wegmans' recent tradition of not including in-store pharmacies within their new openings.

[Romr123]

Honestly, it would be kind of malpractice-y for any competitor to NOT go after Kroger in their uninvolved-with-Albertsons markets (while they're distracted). If Meijer (for instance) isn't taking this opportunity to go for the jugular in Michigan/Indiana and go after them while distracted with potentially absorbing Albertsons, they're nuts.

[jdb820]

One of the articles about Ballantyne mentioned in a buried lede that Wegmans' planned store in Holly Springs is once again a go for a 2027 opening.

I wonder if they've given up their rights to the store they backed out of inside Fenton in (East) Cary. I know they were looking at having Publix take over part of the site as Wegmans pulled out right before shovels hit the ground.