Publix plots growth in Charlotte, with 3rd new store in region announced in as many months

Publix is further expanding in North Carolina with a store planned in east Charlotte. It’s the third new Charlotte-area store announced by the Florida-based grocery chain in as many months.

Publix has signed a lease on a 46,000-square-foot store at the Clear Creek Crossings development on the northwest corner of Albemarle and Rocky River Church roads, company spokesman Jared Glover said Thursday.

The news comes less than a week after Publix said it plans to open a 60,000-square-foot store on the southwest corner of Sharon and Colony roads, at The Colony in SouthPark.

In February, 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.

“We’ve continued to get numerous requests for us to expand in the area,” Glover said.

There is no opening time frame yet for Publix at Clear Creek Crossings or the SouthPark store, Glover said.

Publix, with 22 stores in the Charlotte region, opened its first store in the area in Ballantyne in 2014.

Publix is Charlotte’s No. 4 grocer by market share, according to industry publication Chain Store Guide’s latest report released last month. Supermarket competition is steep in the Charlotte region where Walmart and Matthews-based supermarket Harris Teeter, owned by The Kroger Co., are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, according to the report.

More Publix grocery stores opening

Publix also is planning four 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 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. There are no opening time frames for the other locations.

Each store hires about 130 full- and part-time employees.

Other supermarket store openings

Some other recent supermarket expansions and openings in the Charlotte region are:

▪ In February, Lowes Foods opened its “first-of-its-kind” store with entertainment at 14021 Boren St. in Huntersville in a former Earth Fare site. The Winston-Salem-based grocer 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, 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, the Salisbury-based grocer opened a store at 1620 Ashley Road in northwest Charlotte in the former Harveys Supermarket location.

▪ In June, specialty grocer Earth Fare, based in Asheville, 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. Lidl also opened a store in Steele Creek a year ago. Two more stores are planned at South Boulevard and Carmel Commons.

▪ A year ago, 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 14, 2022 at 3:51 PM.