Charlotte Supermarkets

[rancenc]

Lawsuits have begun concerning Earth Fare's abrupt bankruptcy filing and closures.  I'm beginning to think this was a mismanaged company from the top!

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/02/07/employees-bankrupt-earth-fare-file-lawsuit-behalf-thousands/4690800002/

 

[Richhamleigh, DC]

2 hours ago, rancenc said:

Lawsuits have begun concerning Earth Fare's abrupt bankruptcy filing and closures.  I'm beginning to think this was a mismanaged company from the top!

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/02/07/employees-bankrupt-earth-fare-file-lawsuit-behalf-thousands/4690800002/

 

Their real estate people were not smart.  The Triangle locations were bad.

[jole]

I got an email from management of the new Asian Grocery going in at Paza/Eastway (the old Bi-Lo). He said they were aiming for a soft opening Feb 26. 

[Blue_Devil]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:23 AM, Phillydog said:

Their real estate people were not smart.  The Triangle locations were bad.

I didn’t even know there where locations in the triangle...

[urbanlover568]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:23 AM, Phillydog said:

Their real estate people were not smart.  The Triangle locations were bad.

Earth Fare also sold the company in 2012 and the new CEO didn't have any grocery experience. They were frantically trying to sell again, but the deal fell through at the last minute and to add to that, they were delinquent on their payments to their supplies so the suppliers halted deliveries.  I went to the Morrisville location and their bread was better quality than the competitors. 

[urbanlover568]

Amazon opened up their first full sized automated grocery store. They will probably convert Whole Foods to the same model soon. Probably going to cause more grocery store bankruptcies. 

https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/25/amazon-opens-its-first-cashierless-grocery-store/

[KJHburg]

^^^ Not likely Whole Foods has 4 stores in the entire Charlotte metro area of over 2.5 M don't think they will bankrupt all the other stores as grocery is a local business.  and not sure they would convert all their Whole Foods to cashless cashier less stores either across the country.    

[urbanlover568]

18 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^^ Not likely Whole Foods has 4 stores in the entire Charlotte metro area of over 2.5 M don't think they will bankrupt all the other stores as grocery is a local business.  and not sure they would convert all their Whole Foods to cashless cashier less stores either across the country.    

Hope you are correct! I enjoy the cashier experience. I know costco abandoned their anti self checkout policy. Kroger also recently exited the RDU market. 

[KJHburg]

^^^ Kroger did leave the Triangle but their best stores were "sold" to their Harris Teeter division which took over some of the locations.  

from the Seattle Business Journal article on their new store and this new Amazon Go store is very small but industry standards only 8000 sq.  QuikTrips in Charlotte average 4700 sq ft by comparison. 

""This newest addition, built off its two-year-old Amazon Go convenience stores, represents a bigger investment in the grocery market. The average Amazon Go is between 450 and 2,700 square feet and holds between 500 and 1,000 items, whereas the larger buildout, Amazon Go Grocery, has nearly 8,000 square feet dedicated to 5,000 items.  The Wall Street Journal reported last year that it was working on dozens of grocery store concepts across the country separate from AmazonFresh, Amazon Go and Whole Foods. At the time, Amazon declined to comment on reports, but last November it confirmed plans to open a brick-and-mortar grocery store in California in 2020.""

[urbanlover568]

12 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^^ Kroger did leave the Triangle but their best stores were "sold" to their Harris Teeter division which took over some of the locations.  

from the Seattle Business Journal article on their new store and this new Amazon Go store is very small but industry standards only 8000 sq.  QuikTrips in Charlotte average 4700 sq ft by comparison. 

""This newest addition, built off its two-year-old Amazon Go convenience stores, represents a bigger investment in the grocery market. The average Amazon Go is between 450 and 2,700 square feet and holds between 500 and 1,000 items, whereas the larger buildout, Amazon Go Grocery, has nearly 8,000 square feet dedicated to 5,000 items.  The Wall Street Journal reported last year that it was working on dozens of grocery store concepts across the country separate from AmazonFresh, Amazon Go and Whole Foods. At the time, Amazon declined to comment on reports, but last November it confirmed plans to open a brick-and-mortar grocery store in California in 2020.""

The store that opened is not a amazon go convenience store. This is a 10,400-sq.-ft location.  The amazon go store was a convenience store. This store has more items. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzPpAbjasA

Edited February 25, 2020 by urbanlover568

[tozmervo]

46 minutes ago, urbanlover568 said:

The store that opened is not a amazon go convenience store. This is a 10,400-sq.-ft location.  The amazon go store was a convenience store. This store has more items. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzPpAbjasA

I think it's fascinating, but it's really hard to imagine that all that technology & the maintenance of that technology isn't far more expensive than a few underpaid cashiers. 

[urbanlover568]

9 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

I think it's fascinating, but it's really hard to imagine that all that technology & the maintenance of that technology isn't far more expensive than a few underpaid cashiers. 

It's cameras and code. Tech will probably pay for itself in a year or two. Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing and making everything easier. They also have no customer service. It's not just the cashier's base hourly rate the employer has to pay. There are other costs. But Amazon is obviously very well funded and able to fork over this investment for long-term gain. Code can be easily duplicated or changed to add another store with a few variable changes. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by urbanlover568

[turbocraig]

Interesting turn of events.  It’d be nice if they managed to reopen some of the CLT stores.  I’m looking at you, SouthPark.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.citizen-times.com/amp/2925020001

Edited March 27, 2020 by turbocraig

[KJHburg]

if EarthFare could have hung on a few months they would have seen their biggest jump in sales EVER.  

[KJHburg]

   Charlotte grocery market has a new leader.  Now Walmart #1 in the market, Harris Teeter slips to #2 and Food Lion #3 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/03/31/walmart-trumps-harris-teeter-in-battle-for-local.html

[CLT2014]

29 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

   Charlotte grocery market has a new leader.  Now Walmart #1 in the market, Harris Teeter slips to #2 and Food Lion #3 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/03/31/walmart-trumps-harris-teeter-in-battle-for-local.html

Walmart was technically #1 already when you added up the market share of Walmart Supercenters + Sam's Club + Neighborhood Market. Now the Supercenters alone are bigger than Harris Teeter. Walmart collectively has ~29% share of the Charlotte grocery market, by far larger than any other corporation and Harris Teeter all the way down at 17.6% in #2.

Edited April 1, 2020 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

I shop almost exclusively at the #1 and #2 market leaders unless I need a sub or sandwich I go to Publix. 

[Matthew.Brendan]

I sometimes forget that Publix is even in the Charlotte market. Where does their store count stand? I can think of only the one way down S.Tryon / Hwy 49 near the Lake Wylie border. I know they have been rumored for possibly both the Providence/Arboretum and Providence/Fairview corners,  as well as at Skyehouse / N.Tryon but....

[KJHburg]

4 minutes ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

I sometimes forget that Publix is even in the Charlotte market. Where does their store count stand? I can think of only the one way down S.Tryon / Hwy 49 near the Lake Wylie border. I know they have been rumored for possibly both the Providence/Arboretum and Providence/Fairview corners,  as well as at Skyehouse / N.Tryon but....

Yes both are those locations are coming even if delayed.    22 stores open in the metro area 

[CLT2014]

Just now, Matthew.Brendan said:

I sometimes forget that Publix is even in the Charlotte market. Where does their store count stand? I can think of only the one way down S.Tryon / Hwy 49 near the Lake Wylie border. I know they have been rumored for possibly both the Providence/Arboretum and Providence/Fairview corners,  as well as at Skyehouse / N.Tryon but....

They have 22 stores in the Charlotte market and rank 4th in market share after Food Lion. 

Stores in South End, Cotswold, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Whitehall Commons, Lake Wylie, Huntersville, Gastonia, Propserity VIllage, Mint Hill, Harrisburg, Matthews, Indian Trail, et... most of their stores are in suburban areas that have newer strip mall developments that they could get into and didn't already have Harris Teeter as a tenant. 

[KJHburg]

1 minute ago, CLT2014 said:

They have 22 stores in the Charlotte market and rank 4th in market share after Food Lion. 

Stores in South End, Cotswold, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Whitehall Commons, Lake Wylie, Huntersville, Gastonia, Propserity VIllage, Mint Hill, Harrisburg, Matthews, Indian Trail, et... most of their stores are in suburban areas that have newer strip mall developments that they could get into and didn't already have Harris Teeter as a tenant. 

There is a new Publix going in between Weddington and Waxhaw on Providence and New Town Road and that location will do great! 

[Matthew.Brendan]

Ahh ok. That makes sense then. 2 stores in Charlotte proper. Cotswold and Whitehall. I guess Ballantyne makes 3.

 

[CLT2014]

I'd be interested if Walmart Supercenter's "stole" customers from the other brands to get their 4% increase in market share or if they are getting the transplants / population growth in outer suburbs like Union, York, and Cabarrus County while the other brands just maintain a consistent group of customers in areas of the metro with less population growth. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

9 minutes ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

Ahh ok. That makes sense then. 2 stores in Charlotte proper. Cotswold and Whitehall. I guess Ballantyne makes 3.

 

No there is a store  another one in steele creek  in the city, one off prosperity road in university area, and of course south end store and McKee farms is in the city too.   7 stores in city limits. 

Yes the rest are further out in the suburbs and that is where the most rapid population growth is and of course more available land. 

[Tyrone Wiggum]

On 2/25/2020 at 7:41 PM, tozmervo said:

I think it's fascinating, but it's really hard to imagine that all that technology & the maintenance of that technology isn't far more expensive than a few underpaid cashiers. 

You have no idea idea how much cheaper it is, and how quickly the ROI pays for itself.

In the next ten years, millions if not tens of millions of jobs are gonna disappear due to automation; without betraying a confidence, I know a leader in the conversion from people to robots, and given how well their experience has gone, it's gonna come on like a hurricane wherever it can be done.  

Is that good?  I still can't buy gas in New Jersey without staying in my car, so dunno, but if I need nothing more than a security guard at Walmart and Whole Foods and Home Despot, or not even that just a kiosk at Panera and McDowells and Chipotle, why do I need humans if my only objective is shareholder value?  Also, just wait till the robotic cooks and dishwashers and stockers and pharmacy techs come on line en masse; it's already here, you just haven't heard about it, to say nothing of the robot truckers visiting an Interstate near you in five years.

Speaking of robot truck drivers, how does Logan die?  His bones are adamentium (sp?).  Given where he's impaled by the tree trunk, that would be impossible.