Harris Teeter plans $253 million for Charlotte-area stores, including Matthews and Huntersville

Harris Teeter will spend about $253 million over the next three years to renovate stores and open three new ones across the Charlotte region, the Matthews-based grocer announced on September 15, 2026. Stores in Matthews and Huntersville are on the renovation list, along with stores in Waxhaw, Concord, Fort Mill and Rock Hill, WBTV reported.

The three new stores are planned for Kannapolis, Fort Mill and Lake Wylie and are expected to open in early 2027, according to WSOC. The company did not say how many existing stores will be renovated, and no addresses were released for the new locations, Grocery Dive reported.

The plan at a glance

The company’s announcement and coverage by WBTV, WSOC and Grocery Dive set out the main points:

• The investment totals about $253 million, spread over three years in phases.
• Renovations are planned in Matthews, Huntersville, Waxhaw and Concord in North Carolina and in Fort Mill and Rock Hill in South Carolina, plus other communities in the region the company did not name.
• New stores are coming to Kannapolis, Fort Mill and Lake Wylie, with openings expected in early 2027, WSOC reported.
• Renovated stores will hold grand reopenings with Taste of Teeter events starting this fall, according to the company’s announcement.

For Mecklenburg County shoppers, the news is about the existing stores in Matthews and Huntersville. All three new stores are outside the county, in Cabarrus County and in York County, South Carolina.

What changes inside the stores

The renovations focus on fresh food and convenience. WBTV listed the work planned at updated stores:

• Fresh, bakery and prepared food sections get more space.
• New layouts and fixtures are meant to make the stores easier to get around.
• Shopping carts and parking areas are being upgraded at select locations.
• Pickup and delivery service is being expanded.
• Decor, signage and store interiors are being updated.

The company did not release a schedule showing which store gets work first or how long each project will take. The rollout is phased over three years, according to the company’s announcement, and the first grand reopenings are planned for this fall.

Harris Teeter President Tammy DeBoer tied the spending to the company’s history in the region. DeBoer said Charlotte families have made the grocer part of their neighborhoods for generations and described the investment as a long-term commitment to customers and communities, WBTV reported.

A Charlotte company since 1936

The chain started in east Charlotte. The first Harris Teeter store opened in 1936 on Central Avenue, WBTV reported. W.T. Harris opened that first store, and his business merged with Willis L. Teeter’s operation in 1960, according to The Shelby Report, which also noted that the company is based in Matthews.

Harris Teeter is now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. The company runs more than 250 stores and 85 fuel centers, according to Chain Store Age. Grocery Dive listed the company’s markets as North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. The company employs about 36,000 people, according to the announcement.

The grocer also pointed to community giving. Harris Teeter has contributed more than $27.4 million in food and funds to hunger relief in the Charlotte region over the past decade, The Shelby Report reported.

Growth after a year of closings

The spending follows a stretch of cuts. Harris Teeter closed five stores in 2025, Grocery Dive reported. The company announced five new store locations in November 2025, and a store in Clemson, South Carolina, opened this summer, according to the same report.

East Charlotte lost a store this spring. Workers at the Mintworth Commons store on Wyalong Drive began getting notice in January that the store would close, and the company cited “careful consideration and strategic market review,” WBTV reported in April. The closing affected 100 to 120 workers, who were offered transfers to other stores, according to WBTV.

That building is getting a new grocer. Food Lion is set to open in the former Harris Teeter space at 5706 Wyalong Drive on October 7, as detailed in the earlier report on the Food Lion opening.

A more crowded grocery market

The investment arrives as other grocers move into the region. Wegmans opens the chain’s first Charlotte store at 11550 N. Community House Road in Ballantyne on Wednesday, October 14, at 9 a.m., according to the company’s grand opening announcement. The store covers 110,000 square feet and will employ about 450 people, WBTV reported.

A second Wegmans could follow. The company has reached an agreement with Atrium Health to buy land at West Moreland and Statesville roads in Cornelius, WBTV reported on September 22. A Wegmans spokesperson said the chain is evaluating the property for a store or other development and that plans are not final, according to WBTV. Details on the Cornelius site and the Ballantyne store are in the September 22 report on both Wegmans sites.

Sprouts Farmers Market is also expanding. The chain is converting the former Earth Fare space at Christenbury Corners, 8885 Christenbury Parkway in Concord, into the chain’s first suburban Charlotte store, WhatNow Charlotte reported, citing The Charlotte Observer. No opening date has been announced.

What shoppers should know

The announcement leaves a few practical questions for shoppers in Matthews and Huntersville. Here is what the reports do and do not say:

• The company has not said which store in each town is on the renovation list or when work starts.
• Grand reopenings with Taste of Teeter events are planned for renovated stores beginning this fall.
• Pickup and delivery upgrades are part of the work at renovated stores, according to WBTV.
• The three new stores in Kannapolis, Fort Mill and Lake Wylie are expected in early 2027, according to WSOC.

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