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Ingle's may have not expanded beyond its footprint because there are enough supermarket participants elsewhere in the state, or it has not been interested in increasing store count and entering new markets.
It is a bit curious there is no Ingle's in Morganton or Hickory along the I-40 corridor. It seems they skip from the Asheville area all the way to Statesville. And it seems like there could be a location in Cleveland County near Shelby, so they would infill towards Gaston County. And whereas the Charlotte border areas of Gaston and Iredell counties make sense, it is also a bit perplexing they skip 2 counties east of Charlotte into Albemarle. Perhaps at one time they had more plans to infill the geographic footprint in more of the greater Charlotte region. If so, it would appear those plans have been stalled or postponed. And with the arrival of Publix and the dominance of Harris Teeter, they may never be realized at this point.
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Originally Posted by tylerSC
It is a bit curious there is no Ingle's in Morganton or Hickory along the I-40 corridor. It seems they skip from the Asheville area all the way to Statesville. And it seems like there could be a location in Cleveland County near Shelby, so they would infill towards Gaston County. And whereas the Charlotte border areas of Gaston and Iredell counties make sense, it is also a bit perplexing they skip 2 counties east of Charlotte into Albemarle. Perhaps at one time they had more plans to infill the geographic footprint in more of the greater Charlotte region. If so, it would appear those plans have been stalled or postponed. And with the arrival of Publix and the dominance of Harris Teeter, they may never be realized at this point.
Off hand, I think that there are 2 or 3 Ingles in Shelby. If it's 2, 1 is in Boiling Springs. If it's 3, 1 is near Boiling Springs. They are all smaller than the Kings Mountain store. The Bessemer City Ingles is a small, older store.
Kings Mountain & Dallas are super centers. It was known that Bob Ingle was looking in Gastonia. There are several locations where they could build. It's a mystery to me why they haven't built in Gastonia or Hickory, for that matter. I realize that they've been replacing older stores in the mountains & Upstate, but I would have thought that they would have continued in Gaston County, at least.
Hickory isn't the only area that Ingles skipped over. It's the same way for most of Atlanta. They're in Northern Georgia and some exurban Atlanta counties, but you can also find a store or two lurking south of Atlanta as well.
Ingle's strategy has been to locate in trade areas on the outskirts of major cities where other supermarket participants may ignore or have left. Despite not getting into major cities, I think Ingle's has done well so far. It would be nice to see Ingle's expand into Charlotte, Greensboro, Hickory, High Point, and Winston-Salem.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by Carolina Knight
Ingle's strategy has been to locate in trade areas on the outskirts of major cities where other supermarket participants may ignore or have left. Despite not getting into major cities, I think Ingle's has done well so far. It would be nice to see Ingle's expand into Charlotte, Greensboro, Hickory, High Point, and Winston-Salem.
I've been baffled that Ingles hasn't gone into Gastonia, Belmont, Hickory, & Mooresville.
All I know is that one day I went into the Kings Mountain store, shortly after Bob Ingle died. The employees were all abuzz that Bob II, was in a meeting with Publix. They understood it to be a strategy meeting & some were speculating that Bob II might sell the Kings Mountain & Dallas stores to Publix. After that meeting, the focus was put on expanding the distribution center & replacement/expansion of the older stores.
Five years later, Publix has entered North Carolina, created the Charlotte Division, and has opened 19 of 38 announced stores in North Carolina. It has 1,135 stores with 1,019 pharmacies. Ingle's has remained constant with 203 stores, including one that is closed for a rebuild.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina Knight
Five years later, Publix has entered North Carolina, created the Charlotte Division, and has opened 19 of 38 announced stores in North Carolina. It has 1,135 stores with 1,019 pharmacies. Ingle's has remained constant with 203 stores, including one that is closed for a rebuild.
Bob Ingle was, clearly, in expansion mode. That's not the case now. With Bi-Lo on the decline & people moving into the lofts at Loray Mill, the land that Parkdale cleared on Garrison is still empty. It's more than big enough to hold a big Ingles, gas pumps & I-mart, and car wash. I can only speculate that Parkdale wants too much &/or Ingles isnt interested.
Ingle's is not the only supermarket with food, pharmacy, and fuel. Harris Teeter is opening additional larger stores and adding fuel centers under Kroger.
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