Here's an interesting retail-related story from Reuters: Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is trying to make its image more environmentally friendly by changing the way farmers who supply it grow their wheat.
Wal-Mart has been trying to reduce its carbon footprint and improve the way its perceived lately, with a pledge to reduce carbon emissions from its supply chain by 20 million tonnes by 2015. The wheat effort will hopefully lower the amount of energy and fertilizer to produce wheat, which Wal-Mart buys and uses for its Great Value brand products.
Executives have been starting at the beginning, with visits to wheat fields. From the Reuters story: "We don't have a lot of visibility in the supply chain, sowe started in the field," says Robert Kaplan, a sustainabilitymanager at the Bentonville, Arkansas-based firm. "I hadn't seena wheat field before and I wanted to find out how we go from agreen crop in the fields to flour on our shelves.""
The company is likely to promote satellite-guided, precision farming and "no-till" methods that avoid plowing the soil, to reduce erosion. Wal-Mart also floated the idea of transporting manure from chicken farms in the South to wheat farmers in other parts of the country. Whichever course of action Wal-Mart takes, its likely to have a ripple effect on farming, simply because of the retailer's sheer size.
27 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
Wal-Mart tries to green up its wheat
Dilworth to hear updated Walgreen's plan
At Wednesday's land use meeting, the Dilworth Community Development Association will hear a revised plan for building a Walgreen's with a drive-thru and an office building at the corner of Morehead Street and Kenilworth Avenue.
The current plan calls for tearing down five buildings, including a Tudor-style, 18-unit apartment building originally constructed in 1927. The distinctive building sits at the corner of Morehead and Kenilworth. Four other adjoining houses would also be slated for demolition.
The rezoning request is expected to have a public hearing in September and go before City Council in October. The developer is Lincoln Harris, and the owner of all the properties is Edward Springs and his company, Edward H. Springs Interiors.
Neighbors have raised concerns about excessive traffic, especially with a drive-thru at an already busy corner. Using the property to build a pharmacy and office building by tearing down older homes with more neighborhood character has also raised eyebrows.
The land use meeting will be held Wednesday, June 27, at 7 p.m., in the Tom Sykes Recreation Center at 1501 Euclid Avenue.
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
Transformation continues at Greensboro's Sears and Whole Foods Market
Sears at Friendly Center with new embellishments and a new logo masking the old facade on the Pembroke Avenue side.
Whole Foods' front on the Kathleen Avenue side continues to take shape.Previously, we showed you pictures of how Greensboro's Sears department store is downsizing their foot print at their building (which they own) and leasing half of the bottom lower level to Whole Foods Market at Friendly Center. The building, which retained a lot of its brutalist 1970s elements for a long time, is still in the process of undergoing a drastic transformation. Whole Foods Market is still scheduled to open sometime in Spring 2012, along with the new Charlotte store as well.
The Sears portion of Friendly Center has been recast as 'Sears Plaza,' sporting the new logo. It should also be noted this Sears store is perhaps one of the first in the country, if not the first, to have the new logo. The entire process of this transformation is quite unique, as you don't see a 1970s department store downsize everyday to accommodate an upmarket grocer. Whole Foods is reaping the benefits of a prime location and Sears' woes.
September:
Up CloseOctober: Mysterious brick columns start to take shape in front of Sears, and a new second entrance has been carved out as well. We also get a glimpse inside Whole Foods' gutted interior.
November: Work continues to transform Sears in time for the shopping season:
December: The new Sears logo is displayed and awnings continue to go up around Whole Foods.
The Sears Auto Center still displays their old logo.Trader Joe's finally coming to the Triad?
Now, the newspaper is reporting that Trader Joe's is interested in a site near Friendly Center. The Greensboro site is adjacent to The Shops at Friendly Center, which houses Harris Teeter, and right next to that is the Whole Foods Market that is set to open soon. Trader Joe's site would encompass the northwest corner of Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road, which is currently six residential lots. Previously, The Triad Business Journal reported that Trader Joe's may have been interested in redeveloping the old City Motors site off of Westover Terrace. Despite an abundance of vacant space across town, the developers' hearts look to be set on Friendly.March 2012 Update: Trader Joe's has signed a lease for a store in Winston-Salem at Thruway Center in part of the former Borders bookstore space, that location will open later this year. Plans for the Greensboro location are still at a standstill.
Trader Joe's set for Wilmington
On the heels of the Trader Joe's hoopla in Greensboro, another North Carolina city, Wilmington, is going to see the specialty grocer. Trader Joe's plans call for a store on an empty lot at Oleander and College, one of the city's busiest intersections, and a location that is not too far from the soon-to-come Whole Foods Market. The demand for both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods has been increasing, as both are very popular and have loyal patrons. The new Trader Joe's is set to encompass 13,000 square feet.Photographed: Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill
Li Ming's Global Mart opening in Greensboro
Above: Li Ming's in Durham in the former Circuit CityLi Ming's Global Mart, which already has two locations in the Triangle (one in Durham [photos] and a sister store in Raleigh, respectively), will soon breathe some life into the High Point Road corridor in Greensboro. Scheduled to open in the Fall of 2012, the Asian grocery store will encompass nearly 52,000 square feet in the Greensboro South Shopping Center, next to T.J. Maxx. High Point Road, an ever-evolving corridor has seen a shift to ethnic-oriented businesses in recent years.
Above: the former Lowes Foods on High Point RoadThe location that Li Ming's is moving into has gone through many incarnations. The store originally opened in 1969 as a branch of discount store Zayre, later was an Ames (another discount store) briefly. As a grocery store it has been a Buy For Less and a Lowes Foods. It has been empty for a number of years since Lowes Foods vacated, so this is certainly a welcome announcement for that shopping center. The Li Ming's in Durham opened last year in a former Circuit City space across from South Square Shopping Center.
Greensboro's Whole Foods sets opening date; Winston-Salem to get Trader Joe's
Greensboro's long-awaited Whole Foods Market is set to open soon. Finishing touches are being put on the store, which is in part of the Sears building at Friendly Center. The 34,000 square foot store takes up half of the lower-level footprint of Sears' department store. The store will open on April 12th.
Above: Trader Joe's Winston-Salem store rendering
Above: Trader Joe's Greensboro store renderingOn the other end of the Triad, Winston-Salem is gearing up for a Trader Joe's. The store will locate in approximately 13,000 square feet of the former Borders Bookstore at Thruway Center, and is scheduled to open sometime later this year. This will be Trader Joe's first store in the Triad, and perhaps the most sought-after specialty grocery store in the region too. The news of Trader Joe's comes amid opposition regarding a rezoning at a potential Greensboro location.
Trader Joe's Winston-Salem rendering via Triad Business Journal/Thomas H. Hughes architecture
Trader Joe's Greensboro rendering via Greensboro News & Record/Regency Centers
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
Redbox movie kiosks coming to Family Dollar
Matthews-based Family Dollar plans to add Redbox movie rental kiosks to its stores, giving the kiosk company access to 7,200 potential new locations and giving Family Dollar another way to lure customers.
“The Redbox kiosk is the definition of convenience for movie and game rentals and will provide value, convenience and additional reasons for customers to visit Family Dollar stores more often,” said Michael Bloom, Family Dollar's chief operating officer.
DVDs cost $1.20 a night, games and Blu-ray discs $2 a night. Redbox is owned by Coinstar, the company whose machines convert unwanted coins to bills.
Family Dollar has been broadening its assortment as it tries to reach more customers. The company recently reached a deal to start selling PepsiCo products, and also decided to add tobacco products to its stores, a move that it said was designed to bring in more customers and compete with other retailers.
Pregnant Groupon men, and Father's Day spending survey
A recent survey of shoppers from online retail site PriceGrabber shows that about 57 percent of people are planning to spend less than $100 on Father's Day this year.
Out of almost 4,500 consumers, 21 percent also planned to spend $100 to $249, and another 11 percent planned to spend more than $250 (lucky dads). The remainder of respondents didn't have a set amount they were willing to spend.
The most popular gift categories were practical gifts, with 41 percent of respondents saying they planned to get Dad something like a tool, auto accessory or appliance. Another 23 percent were planning to buy Dad hobby goods (such as golf equipment), 21 percent said entertainment goods (music, video games, etc.) 21 percent said clothing or accessories, 18 percent said tech gifts (smartphone, tablet) and 15 percent said outdoor items (such as a grill). The numbers add up to more than 100 percent because some people selected more than one gift.
The pregnant men of Groupon
But if you're still stumped for what to buy Dad for Father's Day, you can always turn to Groupon, which is running a notably odd campaign to promote its deals. As you can see at the top of the page, the picture shows a pregnant man with his wife and, presumably, young son excitedly feeling his huge belly. "Deals to celebrate the man who carried you around for nine months," the text reads.
"Celebrate the man who gave birth to you," read a previous Groupon ad. "He felt you grow and kick inside of him for nine months - thank him with deals on Father's Day gifts."
It's hard to tell who exactly Groupon is marketing to with these banners (die-hard fans of the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit film Junior?), but at least they're definitely memorable.
Walgreen's with drive-thru possibly coming to Dilworth
A developer is seeking to build an office building and a Walgreens with a drive-thru at Morehead Street and Kenilworth Avenue.
Here's a detailed proposal for the site plan from developer Lincoln Harris, originally posted by WSOC-TV. It shows building sketches and a layout for the proposed site, which would cover a significant portion of the street from Morehead down Kenilworth, across from Ascension Lutheran Church and Carolinas Medical Center.
Some neighbors are concerned with the project. From the Dilworth Community Development Association: "They plan to tear down the existing homes and build a Walgreens drug store with a drive-thru and a small office building. Major concerns include: 1) the use of the site as a pharmacy, 2) the precedent of having a drive-thru window on Morehead St., and 3) the traffic impact if left-hand turns are allowed in and out of the site."
The buildings torn down would include the Tudor-style apartment building on the corner, the adjacent white house, and three adjoining houses on Kenilworth. Those properties are all owned by Edward Springs and his company, Edward H. Springs Interiors, according to Mecklenburg County property records.
Springs was not available to talk about the proposed development plan this week, according to his office.
Lincoln Harris vice president Alex Kelly said the developer is meeting with community members to address their concerns. "We're working with the neighborhood," he said. "We're going to whatever extent it takes" to discuss and try to resolve issues, he said, but said he couldn't discuss the project's details.
The proposed drug store and drive-thru would be 14,540 square feet, excluding loading and servicing areas, according to the site plan. The two-story office building would be 16,000 square feet.
The 18-unit apartment building on the site was built in 1927, according to property records. The white house and Edward H. Springs Interiors office next door was built in 1940.
The rezoning request will have a public hearing in September and go before the city council in October.
 |
| The apartment building. Picture from Mecklenburg County property records. |
View Larger Map
New burger chain, Highway 55, coming to Charlotte
A new chain, Highway 55 Burgers, Shakes, & Fries, (formerly Andy's Burgers, Shakes & Fries) is set for a major push into western North Carolina, starting in Charlotte this fall.
The 1950s diner-style restaurant company has agreed to franchise 75 restaurants in western North Carolina over the next decade. Plans call for 23 restaurants in Charlotte metro area, starting with one in the University Pointe shopping center.
Highway 55, based in Mount Olive, had 2010 sales of approximately $50 million. There are currently 100 Highway 55 locations, mostly in the eastern part of the state. The company is planning to open 250 more restaurants outside the state, in Florida, South Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.'
The University Pointe store is set to open in September. Terrell and Brett Rhye, father and son, are going to be building that and the other new locations. Terrell Rhye, of Mooresville, founded the real estate firm InterSouth.
In February, the company changed its name to Highway 55 as it prepared to expand, after discovering another company already had the federal trademark on "Andy's." Highway 55 isn't the first local burger chain to have to change its name when it decided to expand: Bad Daddy's Burger Bar used to be Big Daddy's, but someone had already trademarked that name.
View Larger Map
JJ's Red Hots, Red Lobster to open
Two new restaurants are opening soon, coincidentally both with Red in their name.
In Matthews, a new Red Lobster is opening Monday, June 25. The 5,900 square foot restaurant is at 9801 Independence Pointe Parkway, and will have seating for 212 people.
Red Lobster is operated by restaurant company Darden, which also owns and operates chains such as Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grill and Olive Garden. In total, about 180,000 people work for Darden, which operates about 1,900 restaurants.
In Dilworth, JJ's Red Hots is coming to East Boulevard on July 4. The new hot dog spot will open at 2 p.m., with Nation Ford High School's drum line performing, and a soloist performing The Star-Spangled Banner. In addition to the building's rooftop deck, the new owners have also added a takeout menu. And if that's not enough to get you out, there will also be the chance to win free hot dogs for a year.
23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi
New food options open at Metropolitan
The Metropolitan mixed-use complex just outside of uptown has a few new dining options, including Which Wich Superior Sandwiches and Cherry Berry, a self-serve frozen yogurt bar. A third new restaurant, Pizza Fusion, is set to open this summer.
“We’re really excited to be a part of the Metropolitan, located in mid-town Charlotte,” said Grant Alexander, owner of the Which Wich location, in a statement. “We’re going to be one of the few restaurants located there that offers fast casual food, and we think it’s a really dynamic area.”
Each of the new restaurants is a franchise location. Which Wich is based in Dallas, with about 250 restaurants, and was founded in 2003. Cherry Berry hails from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Pizza Fusion is based in Boca Raton, Florida.
View Larger Map
Whole Foods opening date: Sometime in August
Here's an email I got from a reader on Monday: "Any new information about when Whole Foods is opening? Anxiously waiting!" Another, earlier message: "Is it EVER going to open?"
It's been more than a year since Whole Foods broke ground on its 42,000-square-foot store, near Fairview and Sharon roads. And considering that Charlotte has been tantalized with the prospect of a Whole Foods store of its own since 2004, when the upscale grocer planned to open a store in Elizabeth, readers seem to be getting antsy for the SouthPark-area store to open. (If you'd like a taste of some vintage Charlotte angst over Whole Foods' absence, here's a 2010 blog post by my predecessor, Jen Aronoff).
Whole Foods spokeswoman Darrah Horgan told me she's also getting lots of inquiries about the opening date, which was originally planned to be this past spring. No firm date has been set, but Horgan said, "August is safe to say, at this point."
So stay tuned. As soon as there's a date set for the grand opening, I'll post it here. Or, you can even follow me on Twitter and know even earlier.
Bonus observation: There's a lot going on in the local grocery market this year. The arrival of two new major players, Whole Foods and Publix, Harris Teeter buying all of Lowes Foods' local stores, Harris Teeter upgrading many of its local stores to large, distinctive, flagship designs, Wal-Mart overtaking Harris Teeter as the No. 1 grocer in the Charlotte region (OK, that happened in 2011, but the data was released this year) - well, it all makes good blog fodder.
New Massage Envy; Harris Teeter protects turf
There's another Massage Envy Spa coming to the Charlotte area, as the relaxation salon plans to open a Matthews location this week.
It will be the spa's 14th location in or around Charlotte. The 3,300 square foot store will be in the Sycamore Commons shopping center, on Matthews Township Parkway.
“We are excited about our grand opening in Matthews and joining this great community,” said Gordon Thornton, owner of the franchise. The shop will open on June 22.
The business will offer a full range of services, including massages (from prenatal to geriatric ones), facials, aromatherapy and more.
And in supermarket news, if you've been following the Lowes Foods-Harris Teeter store swap, you might be wondering how much that transaction was driven by Harris Teeter's desire to protect its home market in Charlotte from an incursion by Florida-based Publix. One analyst is saying that was likely a big driver of the deal.
“In addition to bolstering its market share around Charlotte, this move also blocks Publix, which plans to open two units in northern South Carolina near Charlotte, from entering Charlotte via a strategic deal, at least in the near term,” said Andrew Wolf, of BB&T Capital Markets.
H&M this year? Online, at least
There might still be no H&M in Charlotte (despite stores in Winston-Salem and Raleigh), but that might not matter as much soon: The retailer plans to start offering online shopping here soon.
You might have heard about this before, but H&M reaffirmed its plans Wednesday in its earnings release. CEO Karl-Johan Persson said in his statement that, "Online sales will be launched in the autumn in the U.S., the world’s largest online market."
Robust sales in the U.S. and Asia helped power H&M to a strong quarter, with $750 million worth of profits. Worldwide, H&M is one of the biggest apparel retailers, with 2,575 stores.
Locally, the Facebook group "Bring H&M to Charlotte" is still gathering new posts. Now that Charlotte is about to get its first Whole Foods, anything is possible. H&M is also opening its first stores in Estonia and Indonesia next year, so if you find yourself in that neck of the woods, you can catch the grand openings and bring some clothes back to Charlotte.
JJ's Red Hots, Red Lobster to open
Two new restaurants are opening soon, coincidentally both with Red in their name.
In Matthews, a new Red Lobster is opening Monday, June 25. The 5,900 square foot restaurant is at 9801 Independence Pointe Parkway, and will have seating for 212 people.
Red Lobster is operated by restaurant company Darden, which also owns and operates chains such as Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grill and Olive Garden. In total, about 180,000 people work for Darden, which operates about 1,900 restaurants.
In Dilworth, JJ's Red Hots is coming to East Boulevard on July 4. The new hot dog spot will open at 2 p.m., with Nation Ford High School's drum line performing, and a soloist performing The Star-Spangled Banner. In addition to the building's rooftop deck, the new owners have also added a takeout menu. And if that's not enough to get you out, there will also be the chance to win free hot dogs for a year.
21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
Transformation continues at Greensboro's Sears and Whole Foods Market
Sears at Friendly Center with new embellishments and a new logo masking the old facade on the Pembroke Avenue side.Whole Foods' front on the Kathleen Avenue side continues to take shape.Previously, we showed you pictures of how Greensboro's Sears department store is downsizing their foot print at their building (which they own) and leasing half of the bottom lower level to Whole Foods Market at Friendly Center. The building, which retained a lot of its brutalist 1970s elements for a long time, is still in the process of undergoing a drastic transformation. Whole Foods Market is still scheduled to open sometime in Spring 2012, along with the new Charlotte store as well.
The Sears portion of Friendly Center has been recast as 'Sears Plaza,' sporting the new logo. It should also be noted this Sears store is perhaps one of the first in the country, if not the first, to have the new logo. The entire process of this transformation is quite unique, as you don't see a 1970s department store downsize everyday to accommodate an upmarket grocer. Whole Foods is reaping the benefits of a prime location and Sears' woes.
September:
Up CloseOctober: Mysterious brick columns start to take shape in front of Sears, and a new second entrance has been carved out as well. We also get a glimpse inside Whole Foods' gutted interior.
November: Work continues to transform Sears in time for the shopping season:
December: The new Sears logo is displayed and awnings continue to go up around Whole Foods.
The Sears Auto Center still displays their old logo.Trader Joe's finally coming to the Triad?
Now, the newspaper is reporting that Trader Joe's is interested in a site near Friendly Center. The Greensboro site is adjacent to The Shops at Friendly Center, which houses Harris Teeter, and right next to that is the Whole Foods Market that is set to open soon. Trader Joe's site would encompass the northwest corner of Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road, which is currently six residential lots. Previously, The Triad Business Journal reported that Trader Joe's may have been interested in redeveloping the old City Motors site off of Westover Terrace. Despite an abundance of vacant space across town, the developers' hearts look to be set on Friendly.March 2012 Update: Trader Joe's has signed a lease for a store in Winston-Salem at Thruway Center in part of the former Borders bookstore space, that location will open later this year. Plans for the Greensboro location are still at a standstill.
Trader Joe's set for Wilmington
On the heels of the Trader Joe's hoopla in Greensboro, another North Carolina city, Wilmington, is going to see the specialty grocer. Trader Joe's plans call for a store on an empty lot at Oleander and College, one of the city's busiest intersections, and a location that is not too far from the soon-to-come Whole Foods Market. The demand for both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods has been increasing, as both are very popular and have loyal patrons. The new Trader Joe's is set to encompass 13,000 square feet.Photographed: Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill
Li Ming's Global Mart opening in Greensboro
Above: Li Ming's in Durham in the former Circuit CityLi Ming's Global Mart, which already has two locations in the Triangle (one in Durham [photos] and a sister store in Raleigh, respectively), will soon breathe some life into the High Point Road corridor in Greensboro. Scheduled to open in the Fall of 2012, the Asian grocery store will encompass nearly 52,000 square feet in the Greensboro South Shopping Center, next to T.J. Maxx. High Point Road, an ever-evolving corridor has seen a shift to ethnic-oriented businesses in recent years.
Above: the former Lowes Foods on High Point RoadThe location that Li Ming's is moving into has gone through many incarnations. The store originally opened in 1969 as a branch of discount store Zayre, later was an Ames (another discount store) briefly. As a grocery store it has been a Buy For Less and a Lowes Foods. It has been empty for a number of years since Lowes Foods vacated, so this is certainly a welcome announcement for that shopping center. The Li Ming's in Durham opened last year in a former Circuit City space across from South Square Shopping Center.
Greensboro's Whole Foods sets opening date; Winston-Salem to get Trader Joe's
Greensboro's long-awaited Whole Foods Market is set to open soon. Finishing touches are being put on the store, which is in part of the Sears building at Friendly Center. The 34,000 square foot store takes up half of the lower-level footprint of Sears' department store. The store will open on April 12th.Above: Trader Joe's Winston-Salem store renderingAbove: Trader Joe's Greensboro store renderingOn the other end of the Triad, Winston-Salem is gearing up for a Trader Joe's. The store will locate in approximately 13,000 square feet of the former Borders Bookstore at Thruway Center, and is scheduled to open sometime later this year. This will be Trader Joe's first store in the Triad, and perhaps the most sought-after specialty grocery store in the region too. The news of Trader Joe's comes amid opposition regarding a rezoning at a potential Greensboro location.
Trader Joe's Winston-Salem rendering via Triad Business Journal/Thomas H. Hughes architecture
Trader Joe's Greensboro rendering via Greensboro News & Record/Regency Centers
20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
Transformation continues at Greensboro's Sears and Whole Foods Market
Sears at Friendly Center with new embellishments and a new logo masking the old facade on the Pembroke Avenue side.Whole Foods' front on the Kathleen Avenue side continues to take shape.Previously, we showed you pictures of how Greensboro's Sears department store is downsizing their foot print at their building (which they own) and leasing half of the bottom lower level to Whole Foods Market at Friendly Center. The building, which retained a lot of its brutalist 1970s elements for a long time, is still in the process of undergoing a drastic transformation. Whole Foods Market is still scheduled to open sometime in Spring 2012, along with the new Charlotte store as well.
The Sears portion of Friendly Center has been recast as 'Sears Plaza,' sporting the new logo. It should also be noted this Sears store is perhaps one of the first in the country, if not the first, to have the new logo. The entire process of this transformation is quite unique, as you don't see a 1970s department store downsize everyday to accommodate an upmarket grocer. Whole Foods is reaping the benefits of a prime location and Sears' woes.
September:
Up CloseOctober: Mysterious brick columns start to take shape in front of Sears, and a new second entrance has been carved out as well. We also get a glimpse inside Whole Foods' gutted interior.
November: Work continues to transform Sears in time for the shopping season:
December: The new Sears logo is displayed and awnings continue to go up around Whole Foods.
The Sears Auto Center still displays their old logo.