Harris Teeter, Matthews, N.C., said last week it has agreed to buy 10 stores from Kroger Co. in the Winston-Salem and Greensboro areas of North Carolina, and to sell to Kroger 11 stores that have underperformed the chain's expectations in the Lynchburg-Roanoke area of western Virginia. Thomas W. Dickson, president of Ruddick Corp., Harris Teeter's parent company, said the market realignment will provide Harris Teeter with greater distribution efficiency and better centralization of advertising and is in line with the company's strategy of focusing on markets that fit a particular demographic profile. Harris Teeter said it expects the deal to close in mid-May and plans to reopen the Krogers within one to two months after that.
