BALLANTYNE, N.C. — Some customers began lining up at 5 p.m. Tuesday for the Wednesday morning opening of Wegmans’ first Charlotte-area grocery store, located on North Community House Road near Ballantyne Bowl. The 110,000-square-foot store is more than twice the size of a typical grocery store and has 664 parking spaces. It is expected to employ 450 people and includes a large cafe with seating for hundreds, a play area and the produce and prepared-meal sections for which the chain is known. The opening adds a major new competitor to a crowded grocery market. Chain Store Guide data for 2026 ranks Walmart first in Charlotte, with $2.4 billion in sales across 32 stores. Harris Teeter follows with 60 stores and $1.695 billion in sales, while Food Lion has 109 stores and $1.671 billion. A new grocer can prompt competitors to adjust their offerings or promotions, as stores seek to retain shoppers. Wegmans Store Manager Patrick McGuinness said the company’s employees are central to its approach to customer service. The Ballantyne store is Wegmans’ fifth in North Carolina. The company is also considering a property in Cornelius for a possible sixth location. About 30,000 people visited the chain’s Raleigh store on its opening day in 2019; McGuinness said he would not be surprised by comparable interest in Charlotte. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers are expected to direct traffic around the store throughout opening day. The location is part of Ballantyne’s broader growth. Since the city approved the Ballantyne Reimagined public-private partnership in May 2020, about $111 million has been invested in the area. Corporate employers including Citi, TD Bank, Daimler Truck Financial Services and SoFi Technologies have also established a presence there. City Councilman Ed Driggs credited decades of investment in infrastructure, including water service, with laying the groundwork for development. He said the resulting growth has generated substantial tax revenue.