Whole Foods Market Plans Fifth Location in Charlotte Area at Former Earth Fare Site

Whole Foods Market will set up shop in South Charlotte. The grocer takes over the old Earth Fare spot in Ballantyne, per Kite Realty's website. The Austin, Texas-based company confirmed Monday that it's developing this south Charlotte site.

The store will occupy 26,546 square feet at Toringdon Market shopping center at 12235 North Community House Road. Amazon bought Whole Foods back in 2017.

Kite submitted a land development construction permit with Charlotte officials in September. The permit covers minor site and utility work. Neither company has revealed when doors will open.

Earth Fare shut down in January. That Asheville-based grocer had anchored the center off Johnson Road near Interstate 485 since 2007.

Started in 1980, Whole Foods now operates nearly 550 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. More than 105,000 workers staff these locations, per company data. The organic grocer runs three Charlotte stores and one in Huntersville.

The certified organic chain stocks locally-sourced items. Wine bars and in-store restaurants draw customers.

This new spot enters a crowded field. Nearly 730 grocery stores operate in the Charlotte region, which generates $10.4 billion in sales. Within a few miles of Toringdon Market sit Publix, Trader Joe's, The Fresh Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Harris Teeter.

Wegmans broke ground in September on its Charlotte debut. The store will span over 110,000 square feet when it opens in fall 2026, just 1 mile away on the same road. The Rochester, New York, based chain adds another rival.

Walmart has led the pack for six years. Matthews-based Harris Teeter and Salisbury-based Food Lion trail behind.

Publix opened three stores this year. The newest debuted at Arboretum in September. Sprouts Farmers Market launched its third location in NoDa in August.

Lowes Foods opened an Indian Land, S.C., store on Oct. 9. Food Lion opened in Troutman in Iredell County in January.

Trader Joe's will open its fourth Charlotte-area store in Matthews.

Harris Teeter will open two 60,000-square-foot stores in York County, South Carolina, in 2027, “We have waited a while to see this groundbreaking occur,” Mayor Guynn Savage said Tuesday, per The Herald. “But it makes it no less joyous.”