Lowes Foods opened its sixth Charlotte-market store Jan. 15 in Waxhaw, North Carolina, at the southwest corner of Providence Road and Prescott Glenn Parkway. The Winston-Salem-based grocer is in the midst of a broader expansion across the Carolinas with multiple store openings and conversions planned for 2026.
The Waxhaw opening follows recent store launches in Red Bank in the Columbia market and Indian Land, South Carolina. Lowes Foods also announced plans to convert a current Kj’s Market in Lyman, South Carolina, into a full-service Lowes Foods location. Additional expansion is underway in the Triangle and Low Country markets, with stores opening in Wendell and Fuquay-Varina and the conversion of a Kj’s Market in John’s Island, South Carolina. A seventh Charlotte-market location is planned for Kannapolis later this year.
The 80-plus-store chain is deploying its signature “Lowes Foods Originals” concept in Waxhaw, featuring in-store experiences designed to differentiate the grocer from conventional supermarkets.
Store features and format
The Beer Den anchors the experiential retail approach. The section offers craft and draft beers with a focus on local selections. Customers can pour a pint to drink while shopping or fill growlers and crowlers to take home. The Den runs Thursday half-price pints and Friday Night Flights promotions alongside seasonal offerings and tap takeovers.
Boxcar Coffee provides grab-and-go beverages including coffee and smoothies with seasonal limited-time offers. The Cakery produces square cakes assembled in front of customers and topped with icing made in-store using real cream and butter. A Cheese Shop carries traditional and specialty cheeses.
The Community Table, constructed from reclaimed barn wood, serves as a gathering point for food pairings, tea parties, floral arranging classes and private events ranging from children’s birthday parties to adult beverage tastings.
SausageWorks features locally made pork, beef and poultry sausages in what the company describes as conventional and unconventional flavor combinations.
Prepared foods focus
The deli counter draws from three Lowes Foods concepts: The Chicken Kitchen, The Smokehouse and Sammy’s.
The Chicken Kitchen offers rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, wings, pot pies, tenders, chicken salad and Cock-a-Doodle Noodle soup. The chicken is fresh, never frozen, locally sourced and raised without antibiotics.
The Smokehouse rotates wood-smoked meats daily, including beef, pork, chicken and salmon prepared with various woods. Products are available ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat.
Sammy’s provides custom sandwiches and pizzas made with Boar’s Head products or Smokehouse items and Pick & Prep vegetables. Customers can order custom items or select grab-and-go options. The store offers seating for on-site dining.
The Waxhaw location supports Lowes Foods To Go, the chain’s online shopping and pickup program.
Parent company structure
Lowes Foods employs nearly 9,000 people across more than 80 full-service supermarkets in the Carolinas. The grocer is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alex Lee Inc., which also operates Merchants Distributors LLC for wholesale distribution, Souto Foods for Hispanic foods distribution and Import Mex for Mexican and Central American products.
Alex Lee additionally owns W. Lee Flowers & Co., which operates approximately 60 IGA and KJ’s Market grocery stores and provides wholesale distribution. The family-owned company, founded in 1931 and based in Hickory, North Carolina, employs approximately 15,000 people.
Lowes Foods was founded in 1954 and maintains gas rewards discounts alongside its personal shopping services.