Publix to open another store in south Charlotte as grocers battle for market share

Publix has signed on for another store in south Charlotte, as the battle for the local grocery market share flares.

The Florida-based grocer signed a lease at Publix at Arboretum, at the southeast corner of Providence and Pineville-Matthews Roads, company spokeswoman Kimberly Reynolds told the Observer on Thursday.

An opening date has not been set, she said. No other details were available.

The announcement comes as several other grocery stores are expanding their reach in Charlotte, from newcomer Farmstead to longtime regional grocer Food Lion.

Publix has plans to open at least four other Charlotte-area stores:

▪ A 48,387-square-foot store will anchor North Creek Village at Sam Furr and Davidson Concord roads in Huntersville. Construction is expected to begin in late spring. The store is expected to hire about 130 people.

▪ A 28,000-square-foot store will open at 10 Tryon building on the northwest corner of Tryon and Ninth streets in uptown. No opening date has been set.

▪ A 68,000-square-foot store is planned at the corner of Sharon and Colony roads in South Park. There is no opening date set.

▪ A 55,000-square-foot store with a drive-thru and a proposed private drive at 11525 Carmel Commons rezoning request has been filed. No additional information is available.

Based in Lakeland, Florida, Publix has 22 stores in the Charlotte region. Publix opened its first North Carolina store in Ballantyne in early 2014.

Grocery stores growing

Walmart remains No. 1 in market share in the Charlotte region, followed by Harris Teeter and then Food Lion, according to the latest report released by Chain Store Guide, a sales tracking firm. In the midst of the grocery wars, these stores also recently announced plans to expand in the Charlotte region.

▪ Specialty grocer Earth Fare, based in Asheville, has returned to the area opening stores in Concord, SouthPark, Ballantyne, Fort Mill, S.C., and Rock Hill. Another store is expected to open soon in Davidson. It will be the sixth store opening in the Charlotte area and No. 22 company wide.

▪ Last month, online-only grocer Farmstead expanded its services to offer free delivery to North Carolina homes within an hour’s drive of its distribution hub in west Charlotte. Charlotte was the Silicon Valley grocer’s first expansion out of the San Francisco area. Farmstead also opened in the Raleigh area and has plans to grow in other U.S. markets.

▪ Salisbury-based Food Lion last month opened a Charlotte store at 1620 Ashley Road with 75 workers. That store is not included in the 62 Bi-Lo and Harveys Supermarkets in the Carolinas and Georgia that Food Lion acquired in the fall and has begun reopening, like in York and Chester, S.C.

▪ Lidl also opened a store last month at 11225 S. Tryon St. in Steele Creek. The discount German grocer plans to open at least three others this year on South Boulevard, Carmel Commons and Mallard Creek Church Road. The latter is expected to open this summer.

▪ Aldi, another German low-cost grocer, recently opened stores in Cornelius, Indian Land, S.C., and Rock Hill.

▪ Matthews-based Harris Teeter also said it will open a 64-000-square-foot store at Fort Mill Parkway in Fort Mill. The company reopened its 34,000-square-foot Park Road Shopping Center grocery store after a year of renovations.