Publix is expanding again in Charlotte, soon after detailing plans for another area store
Publix is expanding again in Charlotte, just weeks after announcing the opening of another area grocery store.
The Florida-based supermarket chain has signed a lease on a 60,000-square-foot store on the southwest corner of Sharon and Colony roads, company spokesman Jared Glover said Friday.
Less than two months ago, Publix said it will open a 48,000-square-foot store at Harris Farms Shopping Center, on the northwest corner of Coddle Creek Highway and Kistler Farm Road, in Mooresville. The store is expected to open in 2024.
There is no time frame yet for when Publix at The Colony will open, Glover said. It’s part of The Colony redevelopment plan in SouthPark.
Publix has 22 stores in the Charlotte region. Each store hires about 130 full- and part-time employees.
Grocery store competition remains intense in the Charlotte region.
Last year, sales topped nearly $8.5 billion last year, up 2.4% over 2020 despite people sheltering at home during the pandemic, according to industry publication Chain Store Guide’s latest market share report released last month.
The competition unfolds as Walmart and Matthews-based supermarket Harris Teeter, owned by The Kroger Co., battle for No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, in market share, according to the Chain Store Guide report.
More Publix grocery stores planned
Publix also is planning five other store openings in the Charlotte region:
▪ A 48,387-square-foot store will anchor North Creek Village at Sam Furr and Davidson Concord roads in Huntersville.
▪ A 28,000-square-foot store at the 10 Tryon building on the northwest corner of Tryon and Ninth streets in uptown.
▪ A 68,000-square-foot store at the corner of Sharon and Colony roads in South Park.
▪ A 55,000-square-foot store with a drive-thru and a proposed private drive at 11525 Carmel Commons.
▪ Last May, Publix said a store will open at Arboretum, at the southeast corner of Providence and Pineville-Matthews Roads.
The Huntersville store is expected to open this year. No other opening dates have been set for the other locations.
Other grocery stores planned
Here are some other recent supermarket openings and expansions planned for the Charlotte region:
▪ In February, Winston-Salem based Lowes Foods opened its “first-of-its-kind” store with entertainment at 14021 Boren St. in Huntersville in a former Earth Fare site. Lowes Foods also will anchor Christenbury Village in Concord in a 52,000-square-foot space. That store is expected to open early next year, down the road from a Lidl.
▪ In January, Salisbury-based grocer Food Lion opened at 2201 West W. T. Harris Blvd. in Charlotte, in a former Harris Teeter location. The store features a hot bar, to-go meals and local produce. Last spring, Food Lion opened a store at 1620 Ashley Road in northwest Charlotte in the former Harveys Supermarket location.
▪ In June, Asheville-based specialty grocer Earth Fare opened its fifth area store in Davidson.
▪ In June, German discount grocer Lidl store opened at 615 W. Mallard Creek Church Road in University City. Last spring, Lidl also opened a store in Steele Creek. Two more stores are planned at South Boulevard and Carmel Commons.
▪ Last April, Silicon Valley online-only grocer Farmstead expanded its free delivery service to homes within an hour’s drive of its Westwood Forest warehouse after opening its first East Coast hub in Charlotte in 2020.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 10:59 AM.