North Carolina grocers have great incentive to keep their stores and product offerings at the top of their game – new customers coming into the state who have no pre-existing loyalty.
Lindsey Kueffner, executive director of the Carolinas Food Industry Council, which covers both North Carolina and South Carolina, said that North Carolina’s population has grown by 5.7 percent since 2020, citing U.S. Census estimates.
The state has more than 11.2 million residents in 2025, according to World Population Review, which noted that it is the ninth most populous state in the country.
“The Carolinas continue to see booming population growth,” Kueffner said. “That kind of growth is great for grocers. Most of those new residents have moved to the Carolinas from the West Coast, Northeast and Midwest, so they have no institutional loyalty to any one grocer. Those customers are fair game.”
She said that much of the population growth in the Carolinas is concentrated on the edges of the more urban areas, “and that’s the driver for most growth of grocery stores. It’s not by region – it’s by population growth areas. The most successful grocers looking to expand are looking at population forecasts at least five to 10 years out.
“The grocery industry is strong in North and South Carolina,” Kueffner continued. “There are so many regional and local grocers competing for every dollar, every basket. That level of competition spurs more and more innovation in the industry as grocers look to differentiate. Grocers in the Carolinas cannot afford mediocrity.”
Independents are rising to the challenge in many areas of the Carolinas, she added.
“The Carolinas are fortunate to have a very strong and successful network of independent grocers, especially in more rural areas. These independent grocers have thrived by knowing the needs of the communities, ensuring they have excellent product selection and customer service to earn their customers’ business.”
New stores on the horizon
Publix, Wegmans and Lowes Foods are among the grocers with stores under way or planned in North Carolina.
Lakeland, Florida-based Publix currently operates 56 stores in North Carolina, but that number should reach 58 by the end of May. The Wallbrook store at 821 S. Main St. in Rolesville, a Raleigh suburb, will open May 21, and the Publix at Clear Creek Crossings in Charlotte will open by the end of May, said Jared Glover, Publix media relations manager.
“Our growth across North Carolina has always been about bringing the Publix experience to new customers. It’s also about providing easier access to current customers,” Glover said. “So while some stores are opening in new areas of North Carolina, a number of others are just opening in areas where there has been a lot of growth.”
There are eight Publix stores either under construction or set for construction in North Carolina:
- Publix at Arboretum, 7933 Providence Road, Charlotte;
- Buffaloe Bend, 7330 Buffaloe Road, Raleigh;
- Latta Park, 4628 Guess Road, Durham;
- Calabash Commons, 9770 Ocean Hwy. W, Calabash;
- The Marketplace at Mills River, 70 Vance Hill Dr., Mills River;
- Village Commons, 6460 Weddington Road, Matthews; and
- Rockfish Village, 7483 Rockfish Road, Fayetteville.
Two additional Publix stores have been announced for the state, but no timeline has been established. Those are Publix at Savannah Branch Town Center, at the northeast corner of U.S. Highway 17 and Lanvale Road in Leland, and Publix at Middle Creek Crossings, at the southeast corner of NC Highway 42 and NC Highway 50 in Garner, Glover noted.
New York-based upscale grocer Wegmans, which currently has four stores in North Carolina, is planning two new stores in the state – Charlotte and Holly Springs – according to wegmans.com.
The Charlotte store, on North Community House Road, is on the east side of Ballantyne and will be Wegmans’ first in that market. The Charlotte Observer reported last November that the store should open in fall 2026. Demolition work was expected to begin in early 2025, with four office buildings needing to be removed to make way for a 110,000-square-foot store. That’s about 5,000 square feet larger than the company’s existing North Carolina stores in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and West Cary, the paper said.
It will offer a feature not found in other stores, the paper reported – outdoor patio seating for the store’s market cafe.
The Holly Springs Wegmans, at NC Highway 55 and Ralph Stephens Road in Wake County, in the Triangle region, should open in 2027.
Lowes Foods, headquartered in Winston-Salem, has pending store openings in Kannapolis and Waxhaw.
In Waxhaw, which is south of Charlotte, real estate news site Connect CRE – Atlanta & Southeast posted in November that a new Lowes Foods will be the anchor retailer for the Shops at Prescot Village, a 100-acre mixed-use development at Providence Road and Prescot Glen Parkway. The 50,000-plus-square-foot store is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Kannapolis store is in Kellswater Commons, a retail center at Kannapolis Parkway and Rogers Lake Road. The center currently is under construction, with planned completion in early 2026, according to developer MPV Properties. The Lowes store will be 50,887 square feet.
In other store news…
Salisbury-based Food Lion, which operates 507 stores in its home state, opened a new store in Troutman at 155 Crosstie Lane on Jan. 29.
In addition to an enhanced selection of ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook or ready-to-heat meal solutions, the store also features a walk-in garden cooler for produce, in-store-cut fruit, freshly made sushi, and a self-service wing and hot favorites bar, plus all the traditional departments.
Asked if more stores are planned for North Carolina, a Food Lion spokesperson said, “We are always looking for opportunities to serve more customers.”
Discounter Aldi, which currently operates 93 stores in the state, will open a new store in Charlotte at 9609 N. Tryon St., according to the company website. No opening date was listed.
According to a July 2024 post on Connect CRE, a Sprouts Farmers Market will open at the base of a 383-unit apartment complex in Charlotte. The complex, called One NoDa Park, is located at the intersection of 36th and North Tryon streets.
The 21,000-square-foot store will be Sprouts’ third in the region, joining stores in Ballantyne and Steele Creek, the post said, adding that Sprouts is aiming for a summer 2025 opening.
Sprouts has six stores total in North Carolina markets.
By the end of this year, Apna Bazar, an Indian grocery store, is expected to open its second location in the Triangle, according to local reports.
The first store is located on Davis Drive in Morrisville. The second is in the new Freedom Square development in Apex. It will be about 10,000 square feet, which is double the size of the original, so hot foods and other items can be added to the selection.
Apna Bazar carries Indian groceries, vegetables and consumer products under a single roof, according to its website. Online shopping and delivery are offered.
According to The Charlotte Observer, a food desert area north of Uptown Charlotte may get a new food store all the way from California, thanks to Mecklenburg County’s approval of $1.5 million for that purpose. Spangler’s plans to build an 8,000-square-foot market at the corner Kohler and Statesville avenues, the paper said. The grocer sells produce – something missing in the area – and has a butcher counter and a grab-and-go food section.
Massachusetts-based BJ’s Wholesale Club opened a new store in Southern Pines on March 7 this year. It is located at 205 Southern Road.
BJ’s says it offers shoppers up to 25 percent off grocery store prices.
Matthews-based Harris Teeter, which has 150 stores in 67 North Carolina cities, celebrated its 65th anniversary in March. The Kroger subsidiary held parties at all its 250-plus stores in seven states and Washington, D.C., including product sampling, cake and specials across the stores.
“This is more than just a birthday for Harris Teeter – it’s a celebration of community, and our customers and associates are at the heart of it,” said Tammy DeBoer, president of Harris Teeter.
The chain’s origins go back to 1960, when grocers W.T. Harris and Willis L. Teeter joined forces to serve customers in North Carolina.
Asheville-based Earth Fare, “Your Healthy Supermarket,” acknowledged in January that it would close its one remaining store in Charlotte, citing intense competition as a contributing factor. The company’s website currently lists three stores in North Carolina: Westgate Parkway in Asheville, West King Street in Boone and Christenbury Parkway in Concord.
Lowes Foods, which opened a new store in Concord Aug. 29 and unveiled a renovated Mt. Airy store, also closed two Lowes stores in the state – 805 Pine Grove Dr. in Wilmington and 8201 Rowlock Way at Cornerstone Commons in Raleigh. A Kj’s Market in South Carolina also faced closure.
“We are working closely with store hosts who work at the three stores slated to close to offer them positions at other stores where possible,” Tim Lowe, head of retail for Alex Lee and president of Lowes Foods, said at the time. “Alex Lee Retail is deeply committed to providing an exceptional shopping experience for our guests, and we are excited about the future of Lowes Foods, Kj’s Market and our IGA locations as we continue to invest and build for future growth.”
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