Exclusive: Wegmans survey shows what Charlotte shoppers want ahead of store opening
Ahead of the much-anticipated debut of Wegmans’ in south Charlotte, a new survey by the grocery chain made it clear what shoppers want: a taste of upstate and western New York.
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The family-owned Rochester, NY-based company launched a community survey on May 7, ahead of the Ballantyne store’s opening Oct. 14. Within three days, Wegmans received more than 1,700 responses, CJ Bolorin, merchandising area manager for the Charlotte store, exclusively told The Charlotte Observer recently.
“It is reassurance that everyone’s excited that we’re here,” he said. “I’ve never been in the community with so many people who already know what Wegmans is and who we are.”
Charlotte is a city with many northern transplants, and many new residents have come from New York. A group on Facebook called Bring Wegmans to Charlotte created 10 years ago has grown to more than 8,700 followers.
It’s that community enthusiasm that prompted Wegmans’ first-ever survey ahead of entering a new market.
“We had such an engaged group that we were like, ‘Why not ask?’ ” Wegmans spokeswoman Marcie Rivera said. “The goal of the survey was really to find out what local Charlotte items they wanted us to carry. And instead, everyone said: ‘Bring your western New York items.’”
While Wegmans will carry popular national brands, the most-requested items in the Charlotte survey are rooted in New York.
The most popular item is Bison Dip by UNC Dairy, based in Lancaster, N.Y., near Buffalo. The creamy French onion dip goes with chips, veggies and Buffalo Chicken wings.
Charlotte also has asked for favorites steeped in history, such as:
Zweigle’s hot dogs, which started as a mom-and-pop deli over 145 years ago in Rochester.
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Other favorites range from Wegmans subs, half moon cookies and sponge candy to Buffalo Bills merchandise.
“I think the really unique part about it was that so many people from upstate and Western New York really responded,” Bolorin said.
Wegmans will bring other flavors South, too, to compete in Charlotte’s heated $10.8 billion competitive grocery market with nearly 740 stores in the region.
To satisfy Northern transplants looking for familiar beverages, regional beer favorites like Genesee Light and Labatt Blue, alongside New York wines like Dr. Konstantin Frank, Bully Hill, Salmon Run and Wolffer Estates will be stocked at the new Ballantyne store.
Highlighted offerings also will include Wegmans brands, like pasta sauces and marinades, specialty deli and cheeses, and the retailer’s signature Cookie Land, featuring up to 50 cookie varieties.
The 110,000-square-foot store also has plenty of room for local North Carolina specialties, such as Mac’s Speed Shop BBQ Sauce and regional craft beers including Legion, OMB and Sugar Creek stocked, Bolorin said.
The survey is still open, even as the first deliveries of dried and canned goods began arriving this week on Tuesday to land on shelves ahead of the 9 a.m. Oct. 14 opening at 11550 North Community House Road.
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