Walmart and Harris Teeter compete for Charlotte’s top grocer

Walmart

 

Walmart has solidified its position atop the Charlotte region’s intense grocery competition during a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic, a new report found.

It was the second year in a row that Walmart saw the most sales of any local grocer, according to the latest annual report released this week by Chain Store Guide. The sales tracking firm works directly with grocery stores to get its data.


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Walmart took 21.1% of the market share last year. Matthews-based supermarket Harris Teeter, owned by The Kroger Co., came in second again, with a 16.5% market share. The gap in market share between Walmart and Harris Teeter also grew slightly last year.

In 2019, Walmart knocked Harris Teeter from the No. 1 ranking that it had held for three years. Walmart and Harris Teeter have jostled for supremacy since Walmart first captured the top spot in 2011.

Walmart has made a number of upgrades to stores, including remodels and adding technology and services, such as pickup and delivery, the company said in a statement.

“We are delighted that our investments once again made Walmart the top grocery store in the Charlotte market,” the statement said.

Food Lion, based in Salisbury and owned by Ahold Delhaize, maintained its position in third place, claiming 15.4% of the market share.

Harris Teeter has 61 stores in the Charlotte region, compared to Walmart’s 28 supercenter stores. Food Lion has 104 regional stores.

Between them, the trio captured just over half of all local grocery sales last year, despite increased competition from the likes of Publix, Lidl and Aldi, according to the report.

GROCERY SALES WORTH BILLIONS

Total grocery sales for the region topped $8 billion last year, according to the report.

But while overall sales increased, the growth rate was not as big as the previous year, despite people sheltering at home through much of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Estimated total grocery sales last year were nearly $8.2 billion — that’s a 4.6% increase over 2019 sales totals of $7.8 billion. But grocery sales in 2019 grew by 6.3% over the prior year.

The report considers the Charlotte region to include Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union counties as well as Chester, Lancaster and York in South Carolina.

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