Publix sets opening date for high-profile Charlotte store

Publix will open its long-awaited grocery store in Cotswold at 7 a.m. on June 20, the grocery store chain announced Monday.

The 46,000-square-foot supermarket on Randolph Road has generated a great deal of buzz in south Charlotte since it is almost literally within a stone's throw from Publix's chief rival in the area, Harris Teeter.

Publix began hiring for the new store in late April. The grocer wrapped up inspections last week.

Publix's Cotswold store has been in the works for over three years.

The Charlotte City Council approved a rezoning request in January 2015 to allow construction of the new store on Randolph Road, and construction began soon after on the building.

After entering the Charlotte market with a store in Ballantyne in 2014, Florida-based Publix has been expanding rapidly throughout the region. In March, the chain also opened a Lake Norman location as well as its second Cabarrus County store in Harrisburg.

Publix and Harris Teeter compete for the same customer demographic, which is why it’s not unusual to see the grocery chains in close proximity to one another. That's the case in South End, where Harris Teeter opened a store in summer 2017 that is less than half a mile from a Publix that opened in spring 2015.

Publix is Charlotte’s No. 4 grocer, with 7.1 percent of the area’s market share, according to sales-tracking firm Chain Store Guide.

This story was originally published June 4, 2018 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Publix sets opening date for high-profile Charlotte store."