Earth Fare Closes Another Charlotte-Area Store
Earth Fare will close another store in the Charlotte, N.C., area, noting the region’s stiff grocery store competition as a key reason for the decision, according to a published report. The Asheville, N.C.-based specialty food retailer’s location at 12235 North Community House Road in Ballantyne will close by Jan. 31, Earth Fare Director of Marketing Laurie Aker told The Charlotte Observer, adding that, although “[t]he company is healthy and strong … we face some challenges and competition within the area that we just really were not able to overcome.” Ahead of the closure, the store has started 20%-off sales.
According to the Observer, Earth Fare was competing with some formidable players in Charlotte, among them Walmart, Harris Teeter, Publix Super Markets, Trader Joe’s, The Fresh Market and Sprouts Farmers Market, with Wegmans slated to make its debut in the market next year just 1 mile away from Earth Fare’s Ballantyne location. Meanwhile, Publix has plans to open five more stores in the area, Sprouts is working on its third Charlotte location, California grocer Spangler’s received approval to build a store, and the West Boulevard Coalition will soon debut the city’s first cooperative grocery store, Three Sisters Market, in an underserved community.
The Ballantyne store’s approximately 30 associates may apply for positions at Earth Fare’s other three nearby stores in Concord, Fort Mill, S.C., and Rock Hill, S.C., Aker told the Observer. The Ballantyne store is the third to close in the area after Earth Fare began reopening stores after filing for bankruptcy almost five years ago. At that time, the grocer closed its 55 stores in 10 states, including seven Charlotte-area locations.
A year after Hulsing Enterprises bought the Earth Fare brand in spring 2020, six stores reopened in the Charlotte region. With the closure of the Ballantyne store, the company will operate 17 stores in seven states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
