In 1936, W. T. Harris borrowed $1,500 to open his first grocery store
in Charlotte, NC. He was a pioneer in the grocery industry, opening
his first supermarket in 1949 that featured air-conditioning, and
remained open until 9 p.m. on Friday nights!
Meanwhile, Willis L. Teeter and his brother, Paul, borrowed $1,700
to open their first Teeter's Food Mart in Mooresville, NC, in 1939.
The two young, prospering companies first combined efforts in 1958
when they pooled their buying efforts and storage facilities. On February
1, 1960, Harris Super Markets and Teeter's Food Marts officially merged
to form Harris Teeter Super Markets, Inc. There were already 15 stores
in operation. The first "Harris Teeter" store to open under
the new banner was in Kannapolis, NC.
Within three years after the merger, 25 stores were in operation.
A new, larger warehouse with office facilities was opened. Harris
Teeter further expanded its marketing area by purchasing five supermarkets
from Tilman's Grocery of Shelby, NC, and two independent grocery stores,
one in Charlotte and one in Gastonia.
In 1969, Harris Teeter was purchased by the Ruddick Corporation of
Charlotte, NC, a holding company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Mergers
In 1984, Food World, a successful supermarket chain headquartered
in Greensboro, NC, was purchased by Ruddick and merged with Harris
Teeter. Food World was started in 1917 by George E. Hutchens of High
Point, NC. Food World's market covered much of central North Carolina
and parts of Virginia. The merger increased Harris Teeter's coverage
to four states and 7,000 associates, making it the second largest
food chain in the Carolinas. Food World added 52 stores, a distribution
center and nearly 3,000 associates to Harris Teeter.
In 1988, Harris Teeter purchased 52 super-markets operating under
the Big Star name and a warehouse from the Grand Union Company. In
1990, Harris Teeter acquired Borden Dairy Plant which, in conjunction
with Harris Teeter's Hunter Dairy, greatly increased dairy product
production. Harris Teeter also purchased a 97,000 square-foot building
in Matthews, NC, and moved its corporate offices to that location.
In 1993, Harris Teeter purchased five South Carolina Bruno stores.
This acquisition substantially increased Harris Teeter's share in
this growing market.
Distribution Centers
A 550,000 square-foot non-perishable distribution and transportation
facility is located in Greensboro, NC, along with a 139,000 square-foot
freezer operation that opened in March 1991. Perishable products are
handled at a 300,000 square-foot distribution facility 12 miles east
of Charlotte at Indian Trail, NC.
Recently, a new perishable facility was completed in Greensboro and
a non-perishable facility was added at the Indian Trail location.
