Sponsored By

Lowes Foods plans new entertainment-themed store

Food hall-style location to house event space, foodservice shops

Russell Redman

August 10, 2021

4 Min Read
Lowes_Foods-store_exterior.jpg
Lowes Foods said the upcoming store in Huntersville, N.C., occupies a former Earth Fare supermarket space.Lowes Foods

Lowes Foods is hatching a new store concept with a food hall-style design and space for customer and community events.

The 25,000-square-foot store will occupy a former Earth Fare supermarket space at 14021 Boren St. in Huntersville, N.C., within the Charlotte market area, and feature specialized foodservice, entertainment elements and frictionless shopping, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Lowes said.

An opening date has not yet been set. Lowes has opened a hiring center for the Huntersville store plans to fill 100 jobs.

On the entertainment side, the new store will house a mezzanine area where customers can book events such as birthday parties, book clubs or team celebrations, as well as enjoy a pint of beer or glass of wine while listening to local musicians, according to Lowes. Planned events like floral arranging classes, trivia nights, board game tournaments, and beer and wine tastings also will be held in the mezzanine space.

Foodservice in the Huntersville Lowes Foods will offer made-to-order, ready-to-eat, heat-and-eat and grab-and-go options in a food hall presentation, with an in-store chef overseeing the culinary experience, the grocer said.

Lowes_Foods-Beer_Den-Chicken_Kitchen.jpg

The Huntersville, N.C., store will feature Lowes Foods Originals prepared foods brands, such as The Beer Den and The Chicken Kitchen.

“We are particularly excited about the concept for our new Huntersville store. It’s been described as our small format but, in reality, it’s so much more,” Lowes Foods President Tim Lowe said in a statement. “It has been in the planning and design stages for some time and will be the first of its kind that will have a focus on entertainment while at the same time offering a seamless shopping experience.”

Related:Lowes Foods pilots grocery pickup lockers at the workplace

Prepared food and beverages shops, from the Lowes Foods Originals brand roster, will include the following:

• The Chicken Kitchen, serving “all things chicken,” such as rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, chicken wings, chicken pot pies, chicken tenders, chicken salad and Cock-a-Doodle Noodle soup. Lowes said all items use fresh, locally sourced chicken that is antibiotics-free.

• The Smokehouse, offering a daily rotation of wood-smoked meats like beef, pork chicken and salmon. The meat is smoked using variety of woods to infuse flavor, according to Lowes. Items can be purchased ready to eat or brought home and heated up.

• The Beer Den, featuring a selection of draft and craft beer that shoppers can drink in-store or take home in a growler (bottle) or crowler (can). The space also will showcase seasonal beer offerings and feature special events and “tap takeovers.”

• Pick & Prep, where shoppers can get fresh-cut packaged, grab-and-go fruit and vegetables throughout the day. Customers also can request custom cuts, as Pick & Prep chefs will slice, dice, mince or cube produce while they shop.

Related:Lowes Foods ensures customers collect on time after they click

• Sammy’s, a day-round destination serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, such as sandwiches and salads. Shoppers can have items custom-made using Boar’s Head meat and cheese, Smokehouse pulled pork, or Pick & Prep fruit and vegetables. Customers can eat their food in-store or take it home or back to work, Lowes noted.

• The Cakery, a fresh bakery offering “Scrumptiouslyumptiously” square cakes in a range sizes, topped with icing made fresh in-store with real cream and butter, the retailer said.

• The Boxcar Coffee & Chocolate Co., a cafe with an in-store roaster that offers Boxcar-brand coffee and other hot beverages plus store-made chocolate barks.

• SausageWorks, serving up house-made pork, beef and poultry sausages in an array of flavors and combinations.

• Bread Crumb, a fresh-baked bread station with everything from traditional sourdough breads and baguettes to sweet breads and savory focaccias, according to Lowes.

• Divine Cut, offering Certified Angus Beef served by high-end steak houses, the grocer said. Shoppers can choose from a selection of dry-aged steaks and have them custom-cut.

Lowes_Foods-SausageWorks.jpg

The SausageWorks shop will serve house-made pork, beef and poultry sausages.

Lowes said the Huntersville store will offer frictionless shopping, enabling customers to order and pay for meals, beverages, dessert or other foods at each touchpoint. For example, if a shopper orders coffee from the Boxcar, a breakfast sandwich from Sammy’s and fresh fruit from Pick & Prep, the items are prepared and gathered for the shopper. Customers also will be able to order everything online for in-store or curbside pickup.

“We’ve been successful at our other stores in the Carolinas for several years by helping bring community back to the table in a variety of ways. This store is the next step in the Lowes Foods brand transformation from typical supermarket to differentiated store to now a community hub,” Lowe explained. “The Huntersville store is designed to serve a variety of needs for our guests. It will be the place for a morning coffee, family dinner on the go, beer with a friend or picking up groceries curbside.”

A subsidiary of grocery distributor Alex Lee, Lowes Foods operates 80 full-service supermarkets in North and South Carolina. Last week, Lowes opened a new 49,000-square-foot store in Hanahan, S.C., and the company plans to open a 47,000-square-foot location in West Ashley, S.C., on Aug. 12. Both are converted Bi-Lo supermarkets acquired from Southeastern Grocers.
 

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like