Matthews-based Harris Teeter has pushed past Wal-Mart and regained its spot as the No. 1 grocer in the Charlotte region, data released Monday show, as analysts speculated over whether the company will find a buyer.
A store swap with Lowes Foods last summer netted Harris Teeter eight new Charlotte-area locations and boosted the company’s market share, cementing its position as the region’s leading grocer by sales.
Harris Teeter had 23.7 percent of the market, up from 21.1 percent last year, data from sales-tracking firm Chain Store Guide show. Wal-Mart’s overall sales increased, but its share of the market fell slightly, to 20.4 percent. Food Lion stayed in the No. 3 spot, with its share of sales dipping slightly, to 17.4 percent of the total.
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