Here Comes Another Wegmans in North Carolina
Wegmans Food Markets Inc., the kind of grocery chain that elicits excitement in potential new markets, is making fans happy in Charlotte, N.C. following confirmation that it is opening a store in that area. Located in the mixed-use Ballantyne development, the new Wegmans has a tentative opening date of summer 2026.
Dan Aken, VP of real estate and store planning at Wegmans, said that the company was glad to deliver on shoppers’ enthusiasm for its arrival. “Four years after opening our first store in North Carolina, we’re excited to announce that Wegmans is coming to Charlotte,” he declared. “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. We’re thrilled to bring the Wegmans experience to this community.”
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While it was meticulous in choosing the site, Wegmans is also carefully planning the design of the 110,000-square-foot store. In addition to signature Wegmans departments, including fresh produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli, cheese, prepared foods and floral, the outpost will include a market café with indoor and outdoor seating. As it does with other locations, this one will carry products from local farmers, growers and makers. Shoppers can also take advantage of catering and online shopping, among other services.
According to the developer, Wegmans is an ideal complement to other commercial businesses in the Ballantyne community, including restaurants, breweries and boutiques. “As we’ve continued to enhance the offerings all across Ballantyne, we’ve seen the need for a more experiential grocer in the community,” said Clifton Coble, SVP of development for Northwood Investors, LLC. “Wegmans, of course, was top of mind. We recognize how beloved it is throughout the East Coast and North Carolina and are ecstatic for it to join our tenant mix.”
The latest planned Wegmans is part of a steady expansion of the chain. Last month, the retailer welcomed shoppers to a new store in Yardley, Pa,. and is already hiring for the supermarket in Lake Grove, N.Y., on Long Island, that is set to be unveiled in early 2025. Other future sites include Norwalk, Conn., Rockville, Md., and another store in the state of North Carolina, in Holly Springs.
Family-owned Wegmans operates more than 100 stores along the East Coast. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company is No. 37 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company as one of its 10 Most Sustainable Grocers for 2024.
