Wegmans eyes more stores in North Carolina: Could Florida be next?
Wegmans employees serve cake during the chain's 100th anniversary party at the Wegmans Great Northern store earlier this year. (David Lassman | The Post-Standard)
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on August 02, 2016 at 2:11 PM, updated August 02, 2016 at 2:40 PM
Rochester, N.Y. — Wegmans is planning a major expansion in North Carolina, with several potential new stores already in the works.
The Rochester-based chain announced its first store in the state earlier this year. Much of the company's focus in North Carolina is on the Raleigh-Durham area, home to a number of major universities, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Wegmans' first North Carolina store is planned for Cary, just outside Raleigh. The firm has already filed paperwork to pursue a second store in that area, the D&C said.
Wegmans wouldn't talk specifics yet, but said it had identified multiple sites in the Raleigh-Durham area where it could open stores.One retail expert believes a foothold in North Carolina could lead to an even bigger push into the Southeast, according to the D&C.
"Wegmans could double the current size of its corporate sales just by filling out the region between Virginia, the Carolinas, into Tennessee and Georgia and north Florida," Burt Flickinger, a retail analyst with the Strategic Resource Group, told the paper.
Wegmans' push farther south would bring it into greater competition with some grocery industry heavyweights. Kroger, which has about 2,800 stores, and Publix, which has more than 1,100 locations, are both expanding in North Carolina as well, according to the D&C.
Wegmans typically takes its time with expansion. It celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and is up to 90 stores.
When the North Carolina store opens, it will be Wegmans' southernmost outpost. The company is also working on new stores in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, according to the D&C.
The chain is planning expansions and renovations at some of its other New York stores, including its DeWitt location.
Wegmans typically ranks highly in surveys and studies of grocery stores by experts and consumers. It has also been a constant presence near the top of Forbes' annual list of best places to work.
The chain can inspire a cult-like following at times. A Facebook group focused on getting Wegmans to the Raleigh-Durham area has more than 800 members, according to the D&C.
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