Harris Teeter toppled from perch as top grocer in Charlotte market, new study finds

Charlotte-area grocery shoppers have crowned a new leader in the ever-heated grocer war.

Retail giant Walmart has eclipsed local grocer Harris Teeter as the No. 1 grocer, taking 21.8% of the market share last year.

That’s a leap from 17.8% in 2018 for Walmart, according to the Chain Store Guide, a sales tracking firm that works directly with grocery stores to get its data. The annual report did not include total sale numbers.

Matthews-based grocer Harris Teeter, owned by The Kroger Co., has a 17.6% share, which is a drop from 18.8% in 2018. Harris Teeter has 62 stores in the Charlotte region, compared to Walmart’s 29 supercenter stores.

Harris Teeter had occupied the top spot since 2016. Walmart Supercenters have held the top spot in the Charlotte grocery market on and off since edging past Harris Teeter in 2011, the Observer reported in 2015.

Kate Mora, regional general manager for Walmart, said the company is focused on giving customers a “better shopping experience.”

“We have remodeled a number of stores, rolled out convenient services such as delivery and grocery pickup, and continued to expand innovations like our pickup towers, all geared to better serve our customers,” Mora said.

Cheaper prices also may have helped Walmart jump into the top spot last year, an industry expert said.

Supermarket analyst Phil Lempert said Walmart is known for low prices and has ramped up online delivery and pickup service nationwide. “Harris Teeter, while a great store, is not known for cheap prices,” Lempert said.

Representatives for Harris Teeter were not immediately available for comment.

Salisbury-based Food Lion maintained its position in third place, claiming 16.2% market share, a drop from 17.4% in 2018. The Ahold Delhaize-owned grocery chain has 104 regional stores.

These top three grocers captured a little more than half the market share last year, despite increased competition from Publix, Lidl and Aldi.

Expanding in Charlotte

German discount grocer Lidl is expanding in the Charlotte market and saw its share jump to 1.7% with five stores, up from 0.7% the year before.

Lidl now has eight Charlotte area stores. Lidl plans to open another store at West Mallard Creek Church Road and Berkeley Place, the Observer previously reported.

Other grocers in the survey include: Publix, 8.7%; Sam’s Club, 5.4%; Target, 4.2%; Cotsco Wholesale, 2.8%; Bi-Lo, 2.5%; Aldi, 2.2%; BJ’s, 2.1%; Dollar General, 2%; Whole Foods Market, 1.7%; Trader Joe’s, 1%; and Fresh Market, 0.7%.

The report considered the Charlotte region to include Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union counties as well as Chester, Lancaster and York in South Carolina.

Earth Fare, which listed last in 2018 with a 0.4% market share is no longer on the list.

The North Carolina specialty grocer announced Feb. 3 it would close all of its approximately 50 stores in 10 states, including 13 in North Carolina. The next day, the organic and natural foods company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection before layoffs for its more than 3,000 employees began.

According to industry magazine Winsight Grocery Business, a group of former Earth Fare executives have acquired five defunct stores in the bankruptcy with plans to re-create the natural foods brand, none in Charlotte.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Harris Teeter toppled from perch as top grocer in Charlotte market, new study finds."