‘Going to be very interesting’: Charlotteans react to Wegmans coming to town

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “I like Harris Teeter. I’ve been here about 30 years. I like it over the others here,” said Charlotte resident Bill Battaile.

Now Wegmans, which currently has more than 100 stores along the East Coast, has entered the chat.

“Deli, grocery selections, finest wine selection you’re ever going to see in a grocery store,” listed resident Joe Marley. “It’s just really, really extremely well done.”

New renderings show plans for a new Wegmans location in Ballantyne off of North Community House Road. The grocery store will be less than half a mile from Ballantyne’s massive mixed-use development called ‘The Bowl’. Its targeted opening date is in the third quarter of 2026.

“They have to stand out and do something different that the others don’t do,” said Battaile, “and that’s the tough part for grocery stores, I think.”

In January, Solitaired ranked the worst and best grocery stores in America. Charlotte had six of the major grocery store chains in the top ten, but #3 Wegmans hadn’t yet made the announcement. Representatives say hundreds of requests from Charlotteans influenced their decision.

The store in Ballantyne will be about 110,000 square feet and will feature everything that makes Wegmans special: a wide variety of seafood, meat, bakery, deli and cheese options, wine and beer, and a market cafe with indoor and outdoor seating.

READ MORE: Popular supermarket chain Wegmans is coming to Charlotte

What influences various shoppers might differ from person to person.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see who has the lowest prices,” said resident Dionne Taylor.

The variety of grocery store options in and around Charlotte continues to expand.

“We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had Harris Teeter all these years,” said Marley, “because it’s also a great store, but this just adds to it.”

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