Harris Teeter Closes East Charlotte Store While Building Three New Locations

Harris Teeter will shutter its East Charlotte shop by April 17. The decision came after the Matthews-based grocer reviewed its market strategy. The Mintworth Commons shop at 5706 Wyalong Drive will close its doors, but the pharmacy will keep running until then.

Customers got word through signs posted in the store and e-VIC messages.

Shoppers can visit other nearby shops at Mint Hill Pavilion, Matthews Township, and Idlewild Market in Matthews.

The company told workers last week. Each shop has about 100 to 120 people on staff. Workers who lose their jobs can try to transfer to other shops and will get help during the transition, the chain said, according to the Charlotte Observer.

This closure happens while the grocer builds three new shops in Kannapolis and South Carolina. A 61,000-square-foot shop at Five Points in Lake Wylie will break ground this winter, featuring Starbucks and a wine and beer bar.

Fort Mill will see a 61,000-square-foot shop at Catawba Ridge Market start construction this winter. That shop will have a full-service wine and beer bar.

Downtown Kannapolis will get a 53,000-square-foot shop that starts construction in the fall. It will house a Starbucks and anchor Millstone Village, a mixed-use development at North Main and North Loop.

All three new shops will have fuel centers and pharmacies with drive-thrus.

The company is also opening shops in Jacksonville, Florida, and Clemson, South Carolina.

Competition for Charlotte's $10.4 billion grocery market is tough. Nearly 730 shops fight for customers. The chain holds second place by marketshare behind Walmart. Publix, Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and Wegmans are all growing their presence in the area.

The grocer operates as a subsidiary of Kroger Co. based in Ohio. It runs over 260 shops across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, and the District of Columbia.