Wegmans southern expansion takes shape

A fourth Wegmans location has been approved for central North Carolina, bringing 130,000-sq.-ft. of new competition to an already crowded region.

Wegmans is on a march southward but the company hardly sneaks up on the competition. It’s first store location in Cary, N.C, was confirmed in early 2016 and was followed by approvals for a second location in Cary and third store in nearby Raleigh. The fourth location in Chapel Hill was approved by city officials in late October. The Raleigh store could open by the fall of 2018, but the Chapel Hill location isn’t due to open until 2020, which seems like an eternity give the rapid pace of change in food retailing.

The newly approved store will occupy roughly 15 acres on U.S. 15-501 near Old Durham Road and will have 750 parking spaces. Local media reports indicate that the city of Chapel Hill and Orange County agreed to pay Wegmans $4 million in incentives if the company meets certain hiring and revenue goals. The company needs to create 185 full-time jobs and 413 part-time jobs over five years and generate more than $1.8 million in property and sales tax each year.