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Florida-based supermarket company Publix plans to officially break ground on its first store in North Carolina next Thursday morning, at 10 a.m.
The company is the latest new entrant to Charlotte's grocery scene, following Whole Foods' debut in SouthPark last year. Publix plans to open numerous stores across North Carolina as the company expands north on the East Coast. The company opened its first two supermarkets in the Charlotte region last year, in South Carolina.
The Ballantyne Publix, on Providence Road West, is expected to open next year. The company's push into Charlotte, which also includes a planned store in South End and eventually an entire Charlotte division, comes as uncertainty swirls around the region's former leading grocer, Harris Teeter.
Matthews-based Harris Teeter announced earlier this year that it has hired bankers to explore a possible sale of the company. Analysts have speculated that Publix or another larger rival such as Kroger or Giant could be interested.
