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Here in Charlotte we also have the Home Economist, another local, which has plenty of gluten free foods. I've even seen gluten free in BiLo. I am also pretty sure The Fresh Market is local, they have been here for a very long time, and they also sell a great deal of similar food. I don't think WF is in Charlotte simply because of the competition.
Right - You can find Gluten Free in some Harris Teeters and Krogers too. Gluten Free is also found in Trader Joe's and Earth Fare and Fresh Market, Target ect... (All of these stores are in Raleigh too). Each one of these also provides some offerings of supplements and herbal remedies and other dietary speacialites. There are also a few mom and pop health food stores in the Triangle (Harmony Farms) and many many local farmers markets. Yet there are four succesful Whole Foods and a fifth one on the way. Why? Probably becuase they have it all under one roof.
Basically what I am saying is I don't think it is competition that keeps Whole Foods from opening in Charlotte. The Triangle has almost identical stores to those found in Charlotte and yet four Whole Foods (and a fifth one on the way) are widely succesfull here too. As other have pointed out, Earth Fare is a good second choice, but we have those in Raleigh too and that doesn't keep whole foods from opening stores here.
I'm not trying to make this a Raleigh v. Charlotte thing, just using it as an example to highlight that competition probably isn't the reason why a Whole Foods hasn't opend a stori in Charlotte since Raleigh has all these things + Whole Foods. I do think Charlotte will get one in the future and it wil do quite well there.
Last edited by North_Raleigh_Guy; 07-19-2010 at 08:56 AM..
I don't think the shopping is the same at all. Harris Teeter is based in Charlotte had due to that, has several flagship stores here that are not found elsewhere. Foodlion is based in Salisbury and a because of that, Charlotte was the launch city for Bloom their upmarket brand. I don't think they have Bloom anywhere else in NC as they have focused on Northern VA and the CLT area for expansion. (and a test in SC). Charlotte has Compare Supermarkets, a big urban oriented supermarket chain. I don't think this exists in Raleigh. There is BiLo, a SC based Chain. And as I mentioned above no Home Economist in Raleigh. There really isn't that much similarity.
It should also be noted that Kroger and WinnDixie both left Charlotte citing competition factors.
I'll just have to respectfully disagree. I visit my friend in Charlotte often and have been to many of the stores you have mentioned. They seem similar if not identical to their sister stores in Raleigh which is very typical for large chain grocery stores. Any difference (if at all) is negligible at best and I doubt very much has anything to do with why Whole Foods has not yet opened a store in Charlotte.
Yeah - The Harris Teeters here are pretty impressive too. We even have one that is two stories tall and has an elevator! We actually get a some organic stuff there but still make trips to Whole Foods for foods and supplements you can't get at other stores. Just to reiterate there is more to Whole Foods than just the food they sell. They offer classes and other events supporting holistic health. This weekend the Raleigh Whole Foods is hosting Women's Wellness Fair that will have reps discussing healthy living like yoga, reflexology, natural beauty, integrative nutrition, and Eastern medicine. I'm sure there is a market for that in Charlotte but I don't think Harris Teeter does stuff like this.
My friends in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte are hopeful that Whole Foods will open up in that area in the future. I think it would do quite well in that location!
Just to reiterate there is more to Whole Foods than just the food they sell. They offer classes and other events supporting holistic health. This weekend the Raleigh Whole Foods is hosting Women's Wellness Fair that will have reps discussing healthy living like yoga, reflexology, natural beauty, integrative nutrition, and Eastern medicine. I'm sure there is a market for that in Charlotte but I don't think Harris Teeter does stuff like this.
Quote:
EF does some of that...check into it!
Home Economist/Healthy Home Market does as well.
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