After years of speculation, Wegmans supermarket finally confirms Charlotte plans

After years of speculation and anticipation by Northeast transplants and others around town, the popular New York-based Wegmans Food Markets finally has plans to open in south Charlotte.

Wegmans will open on North Community House Road on the east side of Ballantyne, developer Northwood Investors LLC said Monday in a news release. Wegmans is targeting its debut in the third quarter of 2026.

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“We’ve received hundreds of requests from locals asking for a store in their area, and we’ve spent years looking for exactly the right location,” said Dan Aken, vice president of real estate and store planning for Wegmans.

Wegmans joins an increasingly heated $10.2 billion supermarket competition with over 760 stores including expansions by Publix, Lowes Foods and Lidl. Discount giant Walmart has dominated the field for five years, followed by Matthews-based grocer Harris Teeter and Salisbury-based Food Lion.

Based in Rochester, N.Y., Wegmans opened its first store in North Carolina four years ago in the Raleigh area.

Wegmans’ fans in Charlotte, like Cyndie King, voiced a collective “Finally!!” on Wegmans’ Facebook page Monday as word spread of the announcement.

What to expect at the Wegmans in Ballantyne

The 110,000 square feet Wegmans’ Ballantyne store will feature traditional departments, including produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli, and cheese options. The store also will have a market café with indoor and outdoor seating.

The store will be less than a half mile from Ballantyne’s mixed-use development, The Bowl at Ballantyne with tenants including Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, North Italia, Flower Child, Harriet’s Hamburgers and Roosters opening this year.

Wegmans fans excited

The more than 7,000 members of Bring Wegmans Charlotte, NC , were ecstatic about the news.

“WE DID IT!!! Wegmans is FINALLY COMING TO CHARLOTTE!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!,” Melissa Matlock Passmore said on the group’s Facebook page.

“Oh joy, it’s really happening! I’m going to camp out for the opening!,” Christine Rodocker said.

But not everyone applauded Wegmans’ decision for its south Charlotte location.

“Of course Ballantyne. God forbid they put it somewhere else,” said Eddie Cordeiro on The Charlotte Observer’s Facebook page.

About Wegmans

The family-owned supermarket has four stores in North Carolina in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, West Cary and Wake Forest. Another store is planned in Holly Springs.

Wegmans has 111 stores in eight East Coast states from Massachusetts to Virginia.