Lidl #1116, 435 Saint James Ave, Goose Creek, SC 29445

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by WASwift

In West Ashley, Harris Teeter is currently building a store in Westwood Plaza next to Barnes & Noble, and they have a store planned for Bees Ferry Circle.

Also heard an unreliable rumor last week of a "German Grocer" coming to Glenn McConnell.

And another unverified rumor that the Beach Company is selling/has sold the Quadrangle shopping center across from Citadel Mall, and there are plans to kick Bi-Lo out and bring in a more upscale grocer.

I have learned the name of a specific retail center.

BI-LO #5751, Quadrangle Shopping Center, 630 Skylark Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29407-1718, has not updated itself from Piggly Wiggly.

I have not heard anything new in regards to Harris Teeter #406 at West Ashley Circle Center.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by Ledmonkey

Everything I've heard about Bi-Lo has been on this forum really, and this is the first I've heard about WA, but apparently the Bi-Lo in Mt. Pleasant across from what used to be the Bowling Alley has shut down it's Pharmacy which means it won't be here by the end of the year likely.

I agree BI-LO #5410, 774 South Shelmore Blvd, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464-6656, may not last by year's end. The closing of the pharmacy and other service departments is an initial step towards the store's closure. BI-LO #5410's future should be addressed after store 5101, Mount Pleasant Square, 1440 Ben Sawyer Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464-4536, has closed. BI-LO #5101 should be closing within days.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by mckee16

I was in the grocery industry 25 years ago, and have tried to keep up a little since then.A friend at Bilo told me that the Mt Pleasant store that is closing was the # one volume store in the chain ten years ago.It seems to me that they are closing pharmacies in viable stores and keeping pharmacies open in stores that should be closed.I want to commend CarolinaKnight for reminding me of the store numbers of the old Winn Dixie's that I ran back about 1990!

BI-LO has several underperforming stores whose pharmacy departments are the better performing departments. Without the pharmacy and low sales in other departments, it does not make sense to keep the underperforming stores open.

I have not reminisced about Winn-Dixie's former Greenville Division in awhile.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by GroceryGuySC

Southeastern Grocers, who owns Bi-Lo now, is very poorly run. It's 2017, and they have no compelling reason for anyone to shop at their stores, unless they are in a food desert.

Bi-Lo wil, at some point, exit the Charleston market. And it will be because they have nothing to offer the marketplace. Walmart Supercenter, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Publix, Harris Teeter, Aldi and Lidl are far, far superior places to shop with better products and pricing.

I will agree Southeastern Grocers is operated poorly. BI-LO was better 15 years ago under Ahold than it is now under Southeastern Grocers. I am surprised Winn-Dixie remains in operation after reorganizations and massive store, distribution center, and manufacturing plant closings between 2000 and 2005. Southeastern Grocers' stores have created legitimate reasons to lose business and turn customers away.

Food City, Harris Teeter, Ingle's, Kroger, Publix, Walmart Neighborhood Market, and Walmart Supercenter have feasted on BI-LO and Winn-Dixie's demise.

[GroceryGuySC]

On the subject of the new Lidl in Goose Creek:

When it opens, who takes the hit? Walmart? Publix? Bi-Lo? Everybody? Sooner or later, there has to be a saturation point.

[Carolina Knight]

If BI-LO is looking to close more stores beyond Charleston and Dorchester counties, store 5246, 142 Saint James Avenue, Goose Creek, South Carolina 29445-2924, is a start.

[Jandrew5]

Originally Posted by GroceryGuySC

On the subject of the new Lidl in Goose Creek:

When it opens, who takes the hit? Walmart? Publix? Bi-Lo? Everybody? Sooner or later, there has to be a saturation point.

I think that's an impossible question to answer considering there currently aren't any Lidl stores in the US. No one is familiar with their concept or gimmick yet. Regardless, none of the Goose Creek grocers are in any danger except for maybe Bilo.

Lidl will probably be the last grocer in that area for a while. You'll see more stores set up shop around Carnes and Cane Bay now.

[WASwift]

Southeastern Grocers has been converting many of there lower performing stores to Harvey's, which is their discount banner. They've also been remodeling a handful of Winn Dixie and Bi-Lo stores over the past 6 months or so to better position them to compete against Publix and Teeter. I find it very telling that none of the stores in the Charleston Market have even been touched.

With the exception of their King Street store, Food Lion seems to have pretty much retreated entirely outside of 526. But they haven't closed any stores for a few years now. They've completed remodels in most all of their stores here, but they have been very minimal compared to other markets (like Myrtle Beach).

[Carolina Knight]

Harvey's Supermarket is a supermarket, not a limited assortment/discount grocer. I have not heard good things about BI-LO and Winn-Dixie stores converting to the Harvey's Supermarket banner.

If Food Lion remodeled and updated their stores, they would be on par with other successful supermarkets. Paint jobs and equipment replacement, which I have noticed, are not much improvement. Prices remain high. Stores lack necessities and service departments. Did Food Lion waste time and money not to improve its stores?

[GroceryGuySC]

Food Lion and Bi-Lo are the Sears and K-Mart of grocery retailing. It's just too late for them. The industry has passed them by, so the only growth in their future is their list of closing stores.