Gourmet grocers compete Head here on 3g

The arrival of Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill this year just might spark a little friendly competition among our local upscale food stores.

And that's OK with me.

California-based Trader Joe's confirmed this week that it will build a 13,000-square-foot store in Chapel Hill's Eastgate Shopping Center, in the spot that most recently was an Earth Fare store and was once home to A Southern Season.

Trader Joe's is moving into an area known for its gourmet food selection, with Whole Foods and A Southern Season just down the street. Other well-known food establishments, such as the Weaver Street Market, are nearby.

A Southern Season spokeswoman Deborah Miller said area foodies might learn to love the new and existing stores. The new store will likely attract shoppers from Durham and parts of Orange County, she said.

"If you're going to be here, you might as well stop in both places," she said. "They're not going to carry everything we carry, and we're not going to carry everything they carry."

That might be true, but it's fair to assume that Joe's will take sales from some area stores.

The grocer's loyal customer base generated $5 billion in sales for the year that ended June 30, according to industry publication Supermarket News. That's more than $19 million for each of Trader Joe's 262 stores.

With that kind of sales strength, stores will have to work harder to differentiate themselves.

But competition is good for consumers, and I'm looking forward to seeing it all play out.

Other items: Gas station and convenience store chain Sheetz opened a store this week at 3021 S. Miami Blvd. in Durham. ... The French bakery in the Creedmoor Crossings shopping center at Creedmoor and Millbrook roads in Raleigh changed ownership. It reopened last week with a new name, Plaisirs de France.

Just a reminder that most local malls are closed for Easter Sunday. But some department stores, movie theaters and restaurants will be open, so it's best to check with individual stores before you venture out to the mall.

From my Taking Stock blog:

* Greenshields Brewery & Pub in Cary closed last week. Owner Gary Greenshields said the location just didn't work out. He doesn't know whether he will give the business another try somewhere else.

* Lifestyle Family Fitness is planning a fourth Triangle location at Plantation Point, the new BJ's-anchored shopping center across from Triangle Town Center in North Raleigh. A temporary fitness center should open within the next month, and the gym could open in late 2007 or early 2008.

* Medicap Pharmacy had its grand opening Wednesday at 7705 Lead Mine Road in Raleigh's Greystone Shopping Center. There are other Medicap locations in Raleigh, Garner and Fuquay-Varina.

* Work began this week on the new DQ Grill & Chill at Davis Drive and Morrisville Carpenter Road in Morrisville. It will open by early August.