Record Charlotte area grocery sales topped $10.4B last year. One store was clear favorite
For the sixth year in a row, Walmart captured more Charlotte-area shoppers' grocery dollars than any other store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.
It's a lucrative market that saw record sales of $10.4 billion last year, a 2% increase from $10.2 billion in 2023, according to a new annual report by Chain Store Guide. The sales tracking firm gets its data directly from grocery stores.
Walmart had the most sales revenue of any grocer in the region, the report found. It grabbed 23% of the market share last year, the same as 2023 — but that still accounted for $2.4 billion in revenue.
Matthews-based grocer Harris Teeter, owned by The Kroger Co., was second for the sixth year with 16% of the market share, about the same as 2023. Harris Teeter saw $1.6 billion in regional sales.
We sought out the lowest-priced grocery stores in Charlotte. Here's what we found
Salisbury-based Food Lion, owned by Ahold Delhaize, consistently ranked third. Food Lion took 15% of the market share last year, which was slightly up from 2023. Food Lion saw $1.5 billion in sales.
The trio of chains continue to comprise more than half of all local grocery sales.
Walmart has dominated the Charlotte market share since 2019, knocking Harris Teeter from its No. 1 perch that year. Harris Teeter had held the top ranking from 2016 to 2018.
Walmart has 32 supercenter stores in the region, Harris Teeter has 60 stores and Food Lion has 103 regional stores. All are unchanged from 2023.
Walmart Neighborhood Market's eight area stores gained over $169 million in sales for 1.6% of the market share. The report counts those smaller store sales separately from the Walmart supercenters.
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In the report, the Charlotte region includes Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union counties, as well as Chester, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina.
Rounding out the top 10 in market share were: Publix, 10.8%; Sam's Club, 5.6%; Costco Wholesale, 4.3%; Super Target/Target, 4.2%; Lidl, 2.8%; Dollar General, 2.3%; Aldi 2.1%.
After the top 10, here's how other stores ranked for capturing market share: Whole Foods Market, 1.6%; BJ's Wholesale Club, 1.6%, Ingles, 1.5%; Family Dollar, 1%; Trader Joe's, 0.9%; Dollar Tree, 0.8%; The Fresh Market, 0.6%; Earth Fare, 0.6%; Lowes Foods, 0.6%.
Another 92 stores made up 3.2% of the market share, about the same as 2023 with 96 stores. Compare Foods dropped off the market share list this year, falling into 'other operations.'
Store expansions continue to shake-up where Charlotte supermarket customers shop.
There are 729 grocery stores in the Charlotte region, down from 745 in 2023, according to the report. Dollar General has the most stores, 149, followed by Food Lion and Dollar General, 93.
This year, several grocery stores have opened and more are planned:
▪ This month, Publix supermarket debuted a 55,477-square-foot grocery store at 11525 Carmel Commons Blvd. It's Publix 24th store to open in the Charlotte region since the first one opened in Ballantyne in 2014. Publix has at least five more stores planned at: Wesley Chapel, The Arboretum, 10 Tryon building in uptown, Clear Creek Crossings and one in South Park.
▪ In January, Food Lion opened a store at 155 Crosstie Lane in Troutman, about 35 miles north of uptown Charlotte in Iredell County. The company opened three stores in the Charlotte area since 2022 at 2201 West W. T. Harris Blvd. and 5939 Weddington Road in Charlotte, and 11745 Statesville Blvd. in Cleveland.
▪ Sprouts Farmers Market will open a 21,000-square-foot store this summer at the One NoDa Park development on the corner of 36th and Tryon streets in Charlotte. It will be the third location for the Phoenix-based grocer, which opened a store in Steele Creek in fall 2023 and also has a store in Ballantyne.
▪ The West Boulevard Coalition is opening Charlotte's first cooperative grocery store, Three Sisters Market. The full-service grocery store will debut in an area that has been without a traditional supermarket for over 30 years. It's expected to open this year.
▪ Last July, Matthews Board of Commissioners approved changes to a grocery store plan with illustration signage similar to Trader Joe's in a 13,5000-square-foot building at Matthews Gateway on East John Street.
▪ Last May, Mecklenburg County commissioners OK'd $1.5 million for California-based grocer Spangler's to build an 8,000-square-foot store at Kohler and Statesville avenues, north of uptown.
▪ In 2026, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans will make its Charlotte debut with a 110,000-square-foot grocery store on the east side of Ballantyne in south Charlotte. Construction is under way.
▪ Historic West End Partners will open a 15,000-square-foot cooperative grocery store in partnership with Weaver Street Market, which has four stores in the Raleigh region. It's part of the grassroots group's larger development plan that includes 290 apartments.
▪ Harris Teeter will open two 60,000-square-foot stores in York County, The Herald previously reported. The 5366 Hwy. 55 E. store in Lake Wylie is expected to open in fall 2026. A Fort Mill store on Fort Mill Parkway also is expected to open in 2026.
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