Wal-Mart to offer healthier food

A story in today's New York Times says Wal-Mart plans to cut down on sugar, fat and sodium in its food offerings over the next five years, and to pressure other suppliers to do the same. The mega-retailer also plans to announce Thursday that it will sell fresh fruits and vegetables more cheaply - cutting into its own profits but making up for the loss in sales volume.

The move is expected to have a major impact on American eating habits. Wal-Mart is the country's biggest grocery retailer, and last year surpassed Harris Teeter to become the Charlotte region's top grocer.

Company officials say Wal-Mart's initiative is the product of numerous discussions with Michelle Obama, who has made reducing childhood obesity a priority. But Wal-Mart has faced six quarters of declining sales at its stores open for more than a year (while still posting a profit). The company also faces competition from low-cost stores such as Family Dollar, which is expanding its consumable selections, and mega-retailer Target, which is seeking to increase its same-store sales by adding more fresh produce to hundreds of stores, including all those in the Charlotte region.

What do you think is behind Wal-Mart's initiative, and do you think the program will have a positive effect on America's health?

Uptown retail scene still a bust?

This morning, a reader emailed me to ask if any major expansion of uptown retail is on the horizon. That question has been a perennial issue since uptown started being built up. In 1996, former Observer business reporter Doug Smith wrote a story about the near-impossibility of buying a Snickers bar uptown after 5 p.m. to illustrate the point that most retail establishments closed after business hours - something that's not entirely changed.

Today's reader raised some good points and some encouraging signs, including the Jos. A. Bank store moving to street-level in Founder's Hall and a slew of new restaurants opening at the Duke Energy center.

But he also wondered how far the changes will go and whether retail growth uptown will be sustained. The big question he posed: "Is Center City complete as a regional attraction without a broad array of well-known shopping options that are available beyond normal M-F/9-5  business hours?"

What do you think, and what would you change, add or delete in Charlotte's uptown retail scene if you had a magic business wand? Email me or leave a comment.

Forbes: Charlotte 11th-best shopping city

A report released by Forbes late last week ranked Charlotte as 11th-best for retail shopping among the country's 25 biggest cities.

That puts the Queen City ahead of shopping meccas New York and Los Angeles. Although it nearly made the top 10, Charlotte was edged by Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Jacksonville and San Diego.

The ranking focused on three main factors: ease, options and affordability. This focus on all retail outlets and less on trendy spots like upscale boutiques gave Charlotte - with 6,225 retail outlets, 21 shopping centers and 8.25 percent sales tax rate - a boost over cities with more upscale, flashy options but fewer Wal-Marts (Incidentally, Charlotte tied San Antonio for most Wal-Marts within city limits, at seven).

Read the whole Forbes report here

What do you think of Charlotte's ranking and the area's retail scene?

Opening up shop

Happy 2011, shoppers and merchants of Charlotte. We're reviving this blog about retail in and around the city, and we hope you follow us here for store openings and closings, shopping trends, great deals and the chance to rant, rave (or leave insightful commentary) about the business of buying and selling.

This year promises to be an interesting and maybe even pivotal year in the city's retail business landscape, as merchants start poking their heads up like groundhogs in late winter to test whether the economic recovery we've seen hints of will be real and sustained - or a holiday spending blip. A retail revival could lead to increased hiring and portend a more broad-based recovery, but with a gloomy housing market and high unemployment barely budging, nothing is set in stone.

We'll see new local stores opened by ambitious entrepreneurs and national chain stores fighting each other while trying to grab a piece of customers' wallets. North Carolina-based grocery chains Food Lion and Harris Teeter will continue battling Wal-Mart, Target and others in a changing food landscape, and independent retailers will keep struggling to bounce back from some of the toughest years they've ever faced.

We'll strive to bring you ways to save money and show how retailers are coming up with clever new ways to get you to spend more.

I hope you'll send in any tips, thoughts or story ideas. You can always feel free to email me at elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com or call me directly at 704-358-5041.

A brief note on the writer: I cover retail business in and around Charlotte, a beat I took over shortly before Thanksgiving. This is my second year at the Observer; I previously covered crime and public safety. This blog was formerly run by Observer reporter Jen Aronoff; her old posts are still saved here.

Closing up shop: Farewell, and thanks

Hey everyone,

In the interest of keeping you posted, I wanted to let you know that this will be the last installment of What's In Store - at least for now, as I'm leaving the Observer to go to law school in Chicago. My last day is Wednesday, so if you have any questions, comments or concerns before then, do let me know.  I have so appreciated your readership, interest and feedback, and I will miss writing posts and stories and hearing your thoughts about them. It's also been great to meet and hear from so many merchants working hard to make a go of it in a tough economy. I am not sure how the powers that be here plan to fill my job going forward, so I can't immediately direct you to a successor, but our hope is that someone else will pick up the reins soon. If you have feedback or news about local retail in the meantime, please contact our business editor, Patrick Scott (pscott@charlotteobserver.com).

On a brief personal note, this decision did not come easy: It was agonizing and wrenching, and I'm still not sure I'm doing the right thing. I've loved journalism my entire life and still deeply believe in it. I'm thankful for my nearly six fascinating years here, and it's difficult to contemplate doing anything else. But sometimes, a person needs a change, and so it's with that in mind that I'm heading off for a new challenge - one that I hope will continue to allow me to write and work for good in the world. Only time will tell whether I've made the right choice, and I'm interested in finding out what awaits (aside from a mountain of student loan debt, which, alas, is a given).

Anyway, thank you again. We appreciate your readership, and I hope you'll continue to support my smart, dedicated, caring colleagues as they do their utmost to cover this community. We couldn't do it without you.

New antique shop brings globetrotting flair uptown

A new antique store opening soon uptown comes with plenty of history - both in its merchandise, and in the business itself. Arnie Miller and his wife, Lynda, opened for business in Pennsylvania in 1968, and have since operated in New Jersey, London and most recently, Cape Town, South Africa, for 10 years. Now, they're making the shift to Charlotte, offering one-of-a-kind pieces from 1690 to 1950 for sale and rent.

Miller-Topia Designers opens Aug. 17 at 601 S. Cedar St. in Charlotte, near Bank of America Stadium and next to Hartigan's Pub, in 5,000 square feet in a renovated brick mill. The store, Arnie Miller says, "specializes in the unusual," which quickly becomes apparent - a Namibian-made chair covered in wildebeest skin sits in a window, not far from a rocking goat (yes, not a horse) from a castle in Scotland. The Millers also stock more traditional pieces, too, though, such as an oak draw-leaf table from about 1830, and an original bronze Tiffany floor lamp, with graceful curves. Items are primarily European and American, with many purchased through fine estates. Also on the floor are clocks, bronzes, paintings, lamps, books and engravings, including two clocks from the Ritz in Paris.

In its previous incarnations, Miller-Topia regularly rented antiques for use as props and set decor on theater and movie sets and for photo shoots - including in the movies "I.Q.", shot in New Jersey, and "Invictus," filmed in South Africa. Though there isn't as much of a film industry in Charlotte, Arnie Miller acknowledges, people here still like antiques. And as in the past, the store is not just selling items, but renting them as well, to the public and professionals alike.

When they were living in South Africa, the Millers visited Charlotte, liked its warmth and energy - "Charlotte is up and coming," Arnie Miller said - and decided to move here, rather than back to the Northeast. They began planning their move in early 2009, not exactly a high point for the region's economy. But, says Miller, "The pendulum swings. Sooner or later the economy will come back, and people love to decorate with the kinds of things we sell." And, he says, though the store is still in the midst of pricing its goods, the aim is indeed to sell: "We're not running a museum."

Miller liked the store's location near the Cedar Design Center, home to other art- and architecture-related businesses. Inside, it's arrayed for easy, relaxed meandering, with a mix of large and small items - and at least one little prompt to help sway shoppers: "The best time to buy an antique," reads a small sign standing on a table, "is when you see it." 

Indian Land Aldi opening soon

No-frills grocer Aldi, which has been rolling out additional locations across the region, is planning a grand opening for its new location in Indian Land, S.C. next week, starting at 9 a.m. on Aug. 12. The roughly 16,000-square-foot store will stock about 1,400 products, 95 percent of which are private label, and does not accept credit cards. Cash, debit and EBT are accepted. 

The store is at 9553 Charlotte Highway (U.S. 521), south of Ballantyne and near the intersection with S.C. 160.