Li Ming's Global Mart opening in Greensboro

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Above: Li Ming's in Durham in the former Circuit City

Li 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 Road

The 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

To contact us Click HERE
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 rendering

On 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

Charlotte's Whole Foods set to open August 29

To contact us Click HERE
The highly anticipated opening of Charlotte's first Whole Foods Market store is August 29th, just in time for the Democratic National Convention.  The store is located off of Fairview Road, near SouthPark Mall and next to Phillips Place shopping center.  It will feature an underground parking garage and a cart escalator.

Local competition includes the flagship Harris Teeter store, the Earth Fare store at Morrison, and The Fresh Market at Strawberry Hill.  Other recent Whole Foods Markets that have opened in North Carolina include a Greensboro store in April and a Wilmington store in June.

Lowes Foods' new look

To contact us Click HERE
A competitive grocery market calls for grocers to be on their toes at all times.  In keeping with the trend, Winston-Salem based Lowes Foods stores is rolling out a contemporary look at some of their locations. This store in Greensboro on New Garden Road is one of the first Lowes Foods stores with the new, modernized look.  Gone are the tall, bulky shelving units on the aisles, replaced with low-rise shelves and wider aisles.  Additionally, new sleek signage is displayed all around the store and throughout the center of the store, directing customers to where they can find newly-relocated items.  At this time, it is unclear how many of their stores will get this look, but our guess is that most of them will.

Island Joe's Coffee recevies first from PO from Winn Dixie

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Island Joe’s Coffee receives from PO from Winn Dixie

“It takes years of dedicated work to build a brand, then when you are noticed, the hard work really begins.” stated Trey Wells, co-founder and coffee roasters at Island Joe’s Coffee, located in old town Key West, Florida

First there are a few phone calls, then a few emails, which take place over a year or so, then samples are requested for review, then it seems everything stops for months and months, the waiting begins and ends many times over, as the anticipation is sometimes overwhelming, but in today’s retail market, this is just part of the normal process, but with a the proper product and perhaps a little luck, the knock will come to your door.

This was part of the process to gain the attention of the buyers at Winn Dixie Supermarkets. Winn Dixie can trace its routes to 1913 and Burly, Idaho, who has since moved its offices to Jacksonville, Florida and operates around 500 stores with around 50,000 employees.

“We are extremely excited to have this opportunity to have a direct relationship with a major retailer, as Winn Dixie,” stated Wells, “My brother, Brandon and I, have been roasting our gourmet coffee and espresso for going on six years. And it seems our hard work, plus the intense passion we have for our coffee and never wavering from producing some of the finest blends in the world is becoming more established everyday in the coffee industry, as we do not, nor will we cut corners, no matter what kind of money is involved.”

Producing some the finest coffee blends in the world, is just what the coffee roasters at Island Joe’s do, as is proven by the high ratings they have received from some of the world’s leading coffee experts I.e. Kenneth Davids at coffee review.com has awardedd the Wells brothers ratings, which has not only pushed Island Joe’s to the top rated coffee roasting company in Florida, but also with blends rating the top 5% in the world.

Some examples, which will be offered at Winn Dixie are Island Joe’s 90 Mile Stretch Espresso, which rated 90 out of 100 and Island Joe’s Breakfast Blend, which rated 91 out of 100.

IJS Coffee can be also found at limited Publix, Whole Foods Markets, Albertsons, Walgreen’s and Navy Exchanges throughout the U.S., then Tree of Life handles some of IJS’s distribution, plus Sysco Foods handles distribution to resorts and restaurants.

Not only can Island Joe’s Coffee be found at major retailers, small coffee shops, plus properties such as Hyatt and Crowne Plaza around the U.S., but their online customer base spans the globe with customers in Canada, China, Chile, England, Puerto Rico and all across the U.S. including customer base in Seattle, who have shown a passion for Island Joes’ 90 Mile Stretch Espresso, which will be offered at Winn Dixie and offered whole bean.

When ask what was next, Wells responded with, “We like to take it one cup at a time, meaning we are working on our orders for Winn Dixie, so we are focused on taking care of this new customer, which we should be in stores in the next few weeks, plus we are focused on continuing to offer quality service and products to our current customers. As one could look at our customer service, just like our coffee blends - we are consistent with every cup and customer.”

More

Trader Joe's set for Wilmington

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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

To contact us Click HERE
Above: Li Ming's in Durham in the former Circuit City

Li 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 Road

The 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

To contact us Click HERE
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 rendering

On 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

Charlotte's Whole Foods set to open August 29

To contact us Click HERE
The highly anticipated opening of Charlotte's first Whole Foods Market store is August 29th, just in time for the Democratic National Convention.  The store is located off of Fairview Road, near SouthPark Mall and next to Phillips Place shopping center.  It will feature an underground parking garage and a cart escalator.

Local competition includes the flagship Harris Teeter store, the Earth Fare store at Morrison, and The Fresh Market at Strawberry Hill.  Other recent Whole Foods Markets that have opened in North Carolina include a Greensboro store in April and a Wilmington store in June.

Lowes Foods' new look

To contact us Click HERE
A competitive grocery market calls for grocers to be on their toes at all times.  In keeping with the trend, Winston-Salem based Lowes Foods stores is rolling out a contemporary look at some of their locations. This store in Greensboro on New Garden Road is one of the first Lowes Foods stores with the new, modernized look.  Gone are the tall, bulky shelving units on the aisles, replaced with low-rise shelves and wider aisles.  Additionally, new sleek signage is displayed all around the store and throughout the center of the store, directing customers to where they can find newly-relocated items.  At this time, it is unclear how many of their stores will get this look, but our guess is that most of them will.

Li Ming's Global Mart opening in Greensboro

To contact us Click HERE
Above: Li Ming's in Durham in the former Circuit City

Li 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 Road

The 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

To contact us Click HERE
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 rendering

On 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

Charlotte's Whole Foods set to open August 29

To contact us Click HERE
The highly anticipated opening of Charlotte's first Whole Foods Market store is August 29th, just in time for the Democratic National Convention.  The store is located off of Fairview Road, near SouthPark Mall and next to Phillips Place shopping center.  It will feature an underground parking garage and a cart escalator.

Local competition includes the flagship Harris Teeter store, the Earth Fare store at Morrison, and The Fresh Market at Strawberry Hill.  Other recent Whole Foods Markets that have opened in North Carolina include a Greensboro store in April and a Wilmington store in June.

Lowes Foods' new look

To contact us Click HERE
A competitive grocery market calls for grocers to be on their toes at all times.  In keeping with the trend, Winston-Salem based Lowes Foods stores is rolling out a contemporary look at some of their locations. This store in Greensboro on New Garden Road is one of the first Lowes Foods stores with the new, modernized look.  Gone are the tall, bulky shelving units on the aisles, replaced with low-rise shelves and wider aisles.  Additionally, new sleek signage is displayed all around the store and throughout the center of the store, directing customers to where they can find newly-relocated items.  At this time, it is unclear how many of their stores will get this look, but our guess is that most of them will.