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Anderson and Spartanburg counties (second & third most populated in the Upstate, behind Greenville) were just barely independent enough to be excluded from the Greenville MSA in 2000 (they were all connected in 1990)....
Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson were all included in one MSA in 2000. I think it was in 2003 that the metrics were revised and metro areas all over the country got split up, recombined, had counties added/subtracted, etc.
On the airline front, Columbia is 2 hours closer to Florida by car. With increased travel times my rule of thumb is to drive if I can easily get to my destination in a day - otherwise I fly. Most of Florida is an easier day trip from Columbia than from the upstate.
I did allude to that in my original post. This is certainly true for Northern/Central Florida. But how about South Florida - Spirit Airlines also tried and failed with service from Columbia to Fort Lauderdale, a good 8-10 hour drive rather than 5-7 to Daytona/Orlando/Tampa. Allegiant has flights to Orlando, St. Pete's, Fort Myers, and Ft. Lauderdale from Greenville. Is 1.5-2 hours making that much of a difference?
I wonder if more business travel at GSP helps to account for the difference. For one, the South Financial Group, headquartered in Greenville, has branches all over Florida.
Allegiant Air is almost purely discretionary tourism traffic. They typically fly only 4-5 times per week to each of their Florida leisure destinations. If I'm a business traveller I would certainly travel on Delta via Atlanta or US Airways via Charlotte (or maybe even drive up to and fly out of Charlotte). What I lose on fares and a direct flight I gain in frequency/schedule options, frequent flyer miles/upgrades, etc.
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Originally Posted by Akhenaton06
I tend to see Publix and Kroger, both in Columbia and seem to be doing quite well there, on the same level as Harris Teeter. Interestingly enough, we here in Charlotte would love to see Publix enter the market.
I suppose Publix and Harris Teeter occupy similar market niches, so they don't tend to have overlapping markets. On the other hand, I still think Publix is just a notch below HT because they seem smaller and more sized like a typical supermarket, albeit a bit more upscale. Harris Teeter's, on the other hand seem like a notch below Whole Foods, and seem bigger, more expansive than Publix (which may also be why Publix can thrive in the smaller Columbia market than Harris Teeter did). HT is also the incumbent hometown player in Charlotte, so that's a factor, too.
I like Whole Foods, but I think Trader Joe's would be a better choice and offer something not available elsewhere.
As regards Trader Joes, keep your fingers crossed. They are opening their first SC store in Greenville just up the road from Whole Foods, so Trader Joes is obviously making a move into the South Carolina market. I'm sure they will expand with multiple stores.
Allegiant Air is almost purely discretionary tourism traffic. They typically fly only 4-5 times per week to each of their Florida leisure destinations. If I'm a business traveller I would certainly travel on Delta via Atlanta or US Airways via Charlotte (or maybe even drive up to and fly out of Charlotte). What I lose on fares and a direct flight I gain in frequency/schedule options, frequent flyer miles/upgrades, etc.
I suppose Publix and Harris Teeter occupy similar market niches, so they don't tend to have overlapping markets. On the other hand, I still think Publix is just a notch below HT because they seem smaller and more sized like a typical supermarket, albeit a bit more upscale. Harris Teeter's, on the other hand seem like a notch below Whole Foods, and seem bigger, more expansive than Publix (which may also be why Publix can thrive in the smaller Columbia market than Harris Teeter did). HT is also the incumbent hometown player in Charlotte, so that's a factor, too.
Publix and Harris Teeter compete neck and neck (both with bigger, newer stores) for upscale shoppers in the Charleston SC market which also has a Whole Foods.
My personal choice is HT then Publix and Whole Foods (often called Whole Pay Check) only for "select/speciality" items.
We noticed the new Marco's recently in that Beef O'Brady's-anchored strip center. I'm wondering how it will be able to differentiate itself in a relatively crowded local market with Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Little Caesar's all very close by.
If it can provide a Papa John's-type product (their corporate HQ hired the former Papa John's marketing exec), which I feel is a bit higher-quality, then it might work out. Which for a far NE Richland resident like me would be nice, since the current Papa John's on our side of town is further away towards Spring Valley. We've ordered from their and they always take way too long (like 90 minutes or more). Marco's might be able to make it by targeting the newer upper-middle-class subdivisions further out like Longcreek, Lake Carolina, Crickentree, Woodlake, etc.
My fear is that they may over-expand and over-saturate their market (30 locations in SC is a lot, especially in a short timeframe). This happened to Krispy Kreme and I sense it may be happening to Five Guys Burgers.
My fear is that they may over-expand and over-saturate their market (30 locations in SC is a lot, especially in a short timeframe).
That seems to be the name of their game. They have 13 locations in Toledo alone, plus more in suburbs like Rossford, Maumee, etc.
But, then, maybe that's not a lot (sure seems like it). Rush's has 8 locations in Columbia, which doesn't seem like there's too many, and Toledo is 2-3x bigger than Columbia
That seems to be the name of their game. They have 13 locations in Toledo alone, plus more in suburbs like Rossford, Maumee, etc.
But, then, maybe that's not a lot (sure seems like it). Rush's has 8 locations in Columbia, which doesn't seem like there's too many, and Toledo is 2-3x bigger than Columbia
Toldeo is their home town, and is a decent-sized metro area, so I don't consider having many locations there as "over-saturation". Rush's is the same here in Columbia - local/regional chains that grow slowly/organically can sustain mulitple locations even in smallish markets such as ours. Groucho's Deli is the same - about 8 locations in the Midlands.
High-speed expansion into newer, less "tested" markets is what concerns me. We've seen it before with Krispy Kreme, and we may be seeing it soon with Five Guys. While I wish them well and hope they find their niche in NE Richland, if they don't clearly differentiate themselves from an already well-served "fast cheap pizza" market, they may be doomed.
I've never put two seconds worth of time wondering whether something will fail or not. It it makes it, wonderful. If it fails, next!
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