Wegmans is coming to Charlotte this fall: What to know about the grocery store

Charlotte Observer retail reporter Catherine Muccigrosso has been writing about the first Wegmans Food Markets grocery store in Charlotte since the news broke more than two years ago.

With the grand opening date now within site, here’s a rundown of everything we know about Wegmans and its new location, what its entry into the Charlotte market means for the grocery landscape, and why people are so obsessed with the New York-based chain.

A store that’s been nearly 10 years in the making

The path to a Charlotte Wegmans was a long one. Talks between Wegmans and developer Northwood Investors LLC began in spring 2017, soon after Northwood acquired Ballantyne, the Charlotte Observer previously reported. The deal didn’t finalize until seven years later.

A Facebook group called “Bring Wegmans to Charlotte” was created nine years ago and now has more than 8,400 members.

“We’ve received hundreds of requests from locals asking for a store in their area, and we’ve spent years looking for exactly the right location,” Dan Aken, Wegmans’ vice president of real estate and store planning, said when the chain confirmed the Charlotte plans in April 2024.

Wegmans broke ground on the Ballantyne site on Sept. 28, 2025, kicking off about 12 months of construction.

Where Wegmans is going in Ballantyne

The store sits on more than 14 acres on the east side of Ballantyne, just north of the Gibson Building at 11550 N. Community House Road.. It’s also less than a half-mile from The Bowl at Ballantyne, a mixed-use development with tenants such as Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, North Italia, Flower Child and Roosters.

At 112,162 square feet, the Ballantyne Wegmans is more than double the size of typical Harris Teeter and Publix stores in the Charlotte market. Wegmans purchased the property for $5.5 million in January 2025 and is investing $34.7 million in the store itself, according to Mecklenburg County building permit records.

The store plans to open at 9 a.m. on Oct. 14.

The store will feature traditional grocery departments including produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli and cheese, plus a market café with indoor and outdoor seating. It will have 15 cashier registers and 18 assisted self-checkout stands.

The layout opens into the produce section — a nod to the company’s roots, when John Wegman sold fresh produce from a pushcart in Rochester. With his brother Walter, Wegman opened the first Wegmans store in 1916.

“When you see all those beautiful colors, it’s a great start,” Ballantyne store manager Patrick McGuinness told the Observer during a recent store tour.

Jobs and hiring

The Ballantyne store is expected to employ about 450 full- and part-time workers, including 150 full-time positions. Hiring for full-time roles is already underway.

Available positions range from entry-level management to bakery, produce, overnight grocery and culinary roles such as chefs and line cooks. Pay for entry-level management positions runs from $19.75 to $22.50 an hour. Customer service positions pay $16.50 to $17.

Wegmans offers premium pay on Sundays and holidays, flexible scheduling and tuition assistance for all employees, the company said. The majority of hiring will begin about six months before opening, with part-time hiring to follow.

Applications are available at jobs.wegmans.com. Wegmans is not accepting applications at the construction site.

New hires will begin paid training immediately at Wegmans’ Triangle-area stores in Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Wake Forest. Training runs through August, with hotel accommodations and mileage reimbursement provided.

“We’re looking to hire friendly people who are passionate about food and ready to grow their career with us,” said McGuinness, who has worked at Wegmans for 26 years.

The construction project itself created more than 250 jobs. Wegmans partnered with Charleston-based Frampton Construction Co. as general contractor.

Why fans are so excited

For many Northeast transplants, Wegmans isn’t just a grocery store — it’s a piece of home. The chain has a devoted following for products such as its chocolate cake, cheese cave, bison french onion dip, queso and regional hot dog brands like Zweigle’s and Hoffman’s.

“Wegmans is the Disney of grocery stores,” Tim Goldbach, a Buffalo native who lives in Indian Land, S.C., told the Observer at the September 2025 groundbreaking. Goldbach said he visited the construction site every three or four weeks to check progress.

“A year from today, at 2 o’clock in the morning, I’ll be here in this parking lot waiting to walk into the store with my grocery list to do my shopping at Wegmans for the first time,” he told the Observer.

Some fans are planning to tailgate the opening. One online poll showed 70% of respondents in the “Bring Wegmans to Charlotte” Facebook group said they were seriously considering it. One Georgia resident said she plans to drive up from Bethlehem, Georgia, and stay at a hotel for the grand opening.

What it means for Charlotte’s grocery market

Wegmans is stepping into a $10.4 billion Charlotte grocery market with nearly 730 stores, dominated by Walmart, Matthews-based Harris Teeter and Salisbury-based Food Lion. Publix, Lowes Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market and Lidl are also expanding.

Industry analysts expect the Ballantyne Wegmans to shake things up.

“When Wegmans comes to a market every retailer improves” to compete, supermarket analyst Phil Lempert told the Observer. “Charlotte will have a better experience in 2026 than now.”

Lempert said traditional grocers such as Harris Teeter, Publix, Whole Foods and Earth Fare are most likely to feel the impact first. Wegmans typically pays employees at higher hourly rates, which could also pressure local stores on wages.

“I would not want to be within a mile of the Wegmans store,” Lempert said.

In Raleigh, where Wegmans opened its first North Carolina store in 2019, the chain quickly captured market share. By 2021, it ranked fifth in the Triangle with 5.1% of grocery dollars. It now sits at No. 6 by market share in the Triangle, behind Walmart, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Target and Costco.

More stores are coming

Wegmans has long-term plans for three to five stores in the Charlotte region and is eyeing sites in SouthPark, Huntersville and Cornelius.

“While we don’t currently have any specific plans for another store in the area, we see Charlotte as a great fit for us and we are always looking for new opportunities to expand,” Aken said.

The 108-year-old, family-owned Wegmans chain has about 55,000 employees and 110 stores across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Its North Carolina stores are in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, West Cary and Wake Forest, with another planned in Holly Springs.

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 12:01 PM.