Lowes Foods, a Carolinas-based grocer, is adjusting its portfolio of stores as part of its growth strategy.
Today, the grocer is opening a store in Aiken, South Carolina. This marks Lowes Foods’ first entry into the Augusta, Georgia, market and is part of parent company Alex Lee’s broader growth strategy to invest in new stores and remodel existing ones.
As part of the strategy, Alex Lee Retail also is adjusting its store portfolio by closing three stores by the end of August: Lowes Foods at 805 Pine Grove Drive in Wilmington, North Carolina; Lowes Foods at 8201 Rowlock Way at Cornerstone Commons in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kj’s Market at 110 U.S. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
In addition, Alex Lee Retail has renovated two Kj’s Markets in Florence, South Carolina, during the last year as part of a new brand experience and will renovate Kj’s on Kelley Street in Lake City, South Carolina (near Florence) in the coming months. Lowes Foods has several store openings pending: Concord, Kannapolis, and Waxhaw in North Carolina, Indian Land, and Lexington, South Carolina.
“We are working closely with store hosts who work at the three stores slated to close to offer them positions at other stores where possible,” Tim Lowe, Head of Retail, Alex Lee and President, Lowes Foods said. “Alex Lee Retail is deeply committed to providing an exceptional shopping experience for our guests, and we are excited about the future of Lowes Foods, Kj’s Market and our IGA locations as we continue to invest and build for future growth.”
In addition to the Lowes Foods opening in Aiken and its pending openings, the grocer opened new stores in Winterville, North Carolina (Greenville market) earlier this year and in Pittsboro, North Carolina, in 2023.
Related Article: Lowes Foods to Open Five New Stores
About Lowes Foods, LLC and Alex Lee, Inc.
Founded in 1954, Lowes Foods employs nearly 9,000 people and operates more than 80 full-service supermarkets in the Carolinas. Lowes Foods, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.
Founded in 1931, Alex Lee is a family-owned and operated company that employs nearly 15,000 people. It serves as the parent company of Merchants Distributors, LLC, which provides full-service, wholesale distribution to supermarkets across the Southeastern United States. In addition, Alex Lee is the parent company of Lowes Foods and Kj’s Market stores in the Carolinas and Georgia. Alex Lee, Inc. is based in Hickory, NC.