The Bad News Report

[kermit]

1 hour ago, asthasr said:

Looks like Healthy Home Market is really struggling.

I guess Sprouts decided not to bite. I also suspect that the Amazon / Whole Foods merger is gonna take most of the profit out of the high end of the grocery market so most other potential investors are no longer interested.

Edited October 25, 2017 by kermit

[teeg]

24 minutes ago, kermit said:

I guess Sprouts decided not to bite. I also suspect that the Amazon / Whole Foods merger took a lot of profit out of the high end of the grocery market.

That's a bummer. I  thought that if they could hang on anywhere, it would be Davidson. It seems like they have been at that location forever.  Maybe at least the Central Ave shop will get a boost now that it's flanked by both a 5 Guys and the new ABC store.  

[asthasr]

I don't think the entrance of Publix into the market did them any favors, either. It's kind of amazing how competitive Charlotte's grocery stores are right now. Think about this:

High End: Earth Fare, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Healthy Home Market

Mid-High: Publix, Harris-Teeter, Trader Joe's

Mid: Bi-Lo, Lidl

Mid-Low: Aldi, Food Lion, Wal-Mart

Low: Save-a-Lot, Compare Foods

Then, the wildcards like Super G, Grand Asia, and the International Supermarket at Asian Corner. That's a lot of competition. Some of them I expect to fail (Bi-Lo, Healthy Home Market, possibly Lidl), but it's still impressive.

Edited October 26, 2017 by asthasr

[Cadi40]

I worked at Publix and let me say, The competition will only get more fierce as more locations open. However for the buyer, This is a great scenario because it will create competition for lower prices.

[KJHburg]

and Sprouts is coming to Ballantyne area just south of the Publix on 521. 

[elrodvt]

23 minutes ago, asthasr said:

I don't think the entrance of Publix into the market did them any favors, either. It's kind of amazing how competitive Charlotte's grocery stores are right now. Think about this:

High End: Earth Fare, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Healthy Home Market

Mid-High: Publix, Harris-Teeter

Mid: Bi-Lo, Lidl

Mid-Low: Aldi, Lidl, Wal-Mart

Low: Save-a-Lot, Compare Foods

Then, the wildcards like Super G, Grand Asia, and the International Supermarket at Asian Corner. That's a lot of competition. Some of them I expect to fail (Bi-Lo, Healthy Home Market, possibly Lidl), but it's still impressive.

We typically go to WF,  Publix or HT. WF is not terrible but the other two are really weak in international and local selections. Any recommendations?

[kermit]

45 minutes ago, asthasr said:

I don't think the entrance of Publix into the market did them any favors, either. It's kind of amazing how competitive Charlotte's grocery stores are right now. Think about this:

High End: Earth Fare, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Healthy Home Market

Mid-High: Publix, Harris-Teeter

Mid: Bi-Lo, Lidl

Mid-Low: Aldi, Lidl, Wal-Mart

Low: Save-a-Lot, Compare Foods

Then, the wildcards like Super G, Grand Asia, and the International Supermarket at Asian Corner. That's a lot of competition. Some of them I expect to fail (Bi-Lo, Healthy Home Market, possibly Lidl), but it's still impressive.

Plus Food Lion, TJs, Target (kinda) and the various Costco like places.  Sprouts and Wegmans are on the way. 

Fresh Market is now owned by Apollo who is trying to find a buyer. Earth Fare is private but they somehow manage to defy gravity (for now anyway). 

Wal-Mart is a bit of a wild card since they decided to expiriment with smaller formats -- including a very groceryish C store model. Walgreens and CVS are also moving towards a full-line grocery model.  

The gossip is that Publix has found Charlotte to be much tougher than expected (but other NC markets appear to be going better for them)

 

[tozmervo]

News is making the rounds that Bergmann Associates is closing their Charlotte office. This is particularly noteworthy because Bergmann is the national architecture firm that, in 2012, bought Gantt Huberman's office. In addition to being Harvey Gantt's firm, that office produced a lot of notable works like ImaginOn, UNC Center City and the new science building at JC Smith.

[Cadi40]

I can confirm that Publix is actually doing very well in Charlotte. Their store numbers go up every week. 

Edited October 26, 2017 by Cadi40

[Vitamin_N]

10 hours ago, elrodvt said:

We typically go to WF,  Publix or HT. WF is not terrible but the other two are really weak in international and local selections. Any recommendations?

Depending on what you're looking for, Compare Foods can be good for international stuff.

[deleted]

9 hours ago, kermit said:

Plus Food Lion, TJs, Target (kinda) and the various Costco like places.  Sprouts and Wegmans are on the way. 

Fresh Market is now owned by Apollo who is trying to find a buyer. Earth Fare is private but they somehow manage to defy gravity (for now anyway). 

Wal-Mart is a bit of a wild card since they decided to expiriment with smaller formats -- including a very groceryish C store model. Walgreens and CVS are also moving towards a full-line grocery model.  

The gossip is that Publix has found Charlotte to be much tougher than expected (but other NC markets appear to be going better for them)

 

Earth Fare is owned by a private equity firm (Oak Hill) and they are growing elsewhere (Florida specifically).  They appear to be doing fine...

[HighRiseHillbilly]

6 hours ago, tozmervo said:

News is making the rounds that Bergmann Associates is closing their Charlotte office. This is particularly noteworthy because Bergmann is the national architecture firm that, in 2012, bought Gantt Huberman's office. In addition to being Harvey Gantt's firm, that office produced a lot of notable works like ImaginOn, UNC Center City and the new science building at JC Smith.

Did you happen upon a reason? 

[tozmervo]

38 minutes ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

Did you happen upon a reason? 

No, but presumably they weren't getting enough work & the rest of the firm didn't have enough to float the office through a down period. 

[Popsickle]

17 hours ago, kermit said:

Plus Food Lion, TJs, Target (kinda) and the various Costco like places.  Sprouts and Wegmans are on the way. 

Fresh Market is now owned by Apollo who is trying to find a buyer. Earth Fare is private but they somehow manage to defy gravity (for now anyway). 

Wal-Mart is a bit of a wild card since they decided to expiriment with smaller formats -- including a very groceryish C store model. Walgreens and CVS are also moving towards a full-line grocery model.  

The gossip is that Publix has found Charlotte to be much tougher than expected (but other NC markets appear to be going better for them)

 

I can't wait for a Wegmans!  They are amazing!!?

[cjd5050]

55 minutes ago, Popsickle said:

I can't wait for a Wegmans!  They are amazing!!?

If Wegmans comes to anywhere in the metro I will drive there.  If nothing more than the individual vacuum packed cuts of beef they offer.  It's one thing to get a good price on a good cut at the fresh market but I then have to bust out the vacuum sealer when I get home..  1st world problems for sure.  

[asthasr]

18 hours ago, kermit said:

Plus Food Lion, TJs, Target (kinda) and the various Costco like places.  Sprouts and Wegmans are on the way. 

Fresh Market is now owned by Apollo who is trying to find a buyer. Earth Fare is private but they somehow manage to defy gravity (for now anyway). 

Wal-Mart is a bit of a wild card since they decided to expiriment with smaller formats -- including a very groceryish C store model. Walgreens and CVS are also moving towards a full-line grocery model.  

The gossip is that Publix has found Charlotte to be much tougher than expected (but other NC markets appear to be going better for them)

 

I actually forgot Trader Joe's. Left out Food Lion by accident -- meant to put them in the "Mid-Low" tier. Wholesale clubs I consider kind of "special," and Target is so pathetic on pricing and selection that they barely count. An interesting thing is that Super G murdered the Wal-Mart that attempted to move in next door to them. They were in and out of the space within six months.

19 hours ago, elrodvt said:

We typically go to WF,  Publix or HT. WF is not terrible but the other two are really weak in international and local selections. Any recommendations?

I have a big family, so we mostly shop at Costco and Super G. Food Lion for last-minute "oh, man, we need x" purchases. You really can't beat Super G for price and selection of produce.

Edited October 26, 2017 by asthasr

[SgtCampsalot]

My household's grocery trip goes:

1] Trader Joe's (best of both worlds: high quality, cheap price),

2] Healthy Home Market for certain special high-quality-ingredient items

3] Harris Teeter for remaining average items we can't get anywhere else (like parchment paper, tin foi, etc)

[KJHburg]

Wegmans is coming to 3 Triangle locations one near Chapel Hill off I-40, one in North Raleigh off I-440 and one in Cary off I40/440  and there might be another one planned too.  I still think they will enter Charlotte but need to find the right site that Teeter and Publix haven't already snapped up. 

[HighRiseHillbilly]

8 hours ago, asthasr said:

I actually forgot Trader Joe's. Left out Food Lion by accident -- meant to put them in the "Mid-Low" tier. Wholesale clubs I consider kind of "special," and Target is so pathetic on pricing and selection that they barely count. An interesting thing is that Super G murdered the Wal-Mart that attempted to move in next door to them. They were in and out of the space within six months.

I have a big family, so we mostly shop at Costco and Super G. Food Lion for last-minute "oh, man, we need x" purchases. You really can't beat Super G for price and selection of produce.

Super G is awesome. I forget to go for every day "American" items, but it sure is great for the Chinese bakery, Korean restaurant, Latin spices, and big ol' bags of frozen Indian food. 

[kickazzz2000]

11 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Wegmans is coming to 3 Triangle locations one near Chapel Hill off I-40, one in North Raleigh off I-440 and one in Cary off I40/440  and there might be another one planned too.  I still think they will enter Charlotte but need to find the right site that Teeter and Publix haven't already snapped up. 

Just like how Sheetz sat on their butts while QT took all the good spots.  

[Richhamleigh, DC]

I shop at "local" stores whenever possible.  HHM and Earth Fare vs. WF or TJ.  Even those they are not "local" anymore, HT over Publix.  Lowes never Home Depot.  Bojangles never Chick fil a.  Use companies that have invested here or are native...American Airlines, not Delta; Pepsi or Cheerwine, not Coke.

[J-Rob]

26 minutes ago, Phillydog said:

I shop at "local" stores whenever possible.  HHM and Earth Fare vs. WF or TJ.  Even those they are not "local" anymore, HT over Publix.  Lowes never Home Depot.  Bojangles never Chick fil a.  Use companies that have invested here or are native...American Airlines, not Delta; Pepsi or Cheerwine, not Coke.

The largest independent bottler of Coke in the United States is based in South Park, right across from the mall; and one of the largest production facilities in the United States for Coke products is just north of Uptown off of Brookshire Blvd.  They (Coke Consolidated) are a publicly traded company (independent from Coke in ATL) that bottles and distributes Coke products roughly from South Carolina up to Baltimore, back across to the Great Lakes, down to Little Rock and back through TN to the Carolinas.  Just food for thought:  As a major employer in Charlotte, they are much more native and impactful to the Charlotte landscape than Pepsi or Cheerwine, despite common perception.

[SgtCampsalot]

^Is that why Coke tastes like velvety spiced goodness while Pepsi tastes like a flat vinegary afterthought?

[jednc]

52 minutes ago, SgtCampsalot said:

^Is that why Coke tastes like velvety spiced goodness while Pepsi tastes like a flat vinegary afterthought?

I'd get that condition checked out if I were you.

[LKN704]

I absolutely hate Healthy Home Market.

 

Don't get me wrong-I want to like them, and wish I could, especially since they are a locally-owned organization. I'm a pescatarian that has a dairy allergy, so I abstain from all other animal products (dairy, eggs, pork, chicken, beef, etc…) so I often need to go to a specialty food store to do my everyday grocery shopping. I live in Lake Norman, so it would be quite easy for me to shop at that location.

 

However, their Davidson location is nasty and the vast majority of the workers there are rude. The store has this off-putting odor that reminds me of rotten food, and the produce isn't really fresh. The selection is okay, but the prices stink. I have a friend of mine that volunteers at a local soup kitchen, and she says that while the other neighborhood grocery stores continuously drop off food that is somewhat fresh and able to be eaten, the vast majority of the food that HHM donates is moldy and has to be disposed of immediately. She thinks they just donate the stuff just to get the tax credits.

 

Three weeks ago I was shopping there and the deli clerk basically accused me of stealing. They recently did a remodel and rearranged all of their grocery aisles, so I was having trouble finding things that I need. I was looking for vegan macaroni and cheese, but it wasn't in the pasta aisle or where it used to be. So I was going from aisle to aisle to aisle, and back again. I must of looked nervous or irritated (which I was).

 

All of a sudden the deli clerk started screaming : "HEY YOU!!! YOU LOOK REALLY NERVOUS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY DO YOU KEEP LOOKING EVERYWHERE AND WALKING UP EVERY AISLE?"

Me: "Uhh, I'm just looking for the vegan Mac and Cheese"

Deli Clerk: "NO YOU'RE NOT! BECAUSE YOU PAST THE AISLE THREE TIMES ALREADY AND NEVER EVEN PICKED IT UP. NOW I HAVE TO CALL A MANAGER TO TALK TO YOU BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO"

 

I just left my shopping cart and walked out. The whole situation left a poor taste in my mouth.

 

Anyways, that location would be a perfect location for a Trader Joes!