HARRIS TEETER IS EXPANDING DEPOTS TO HANDLE NEW LINES

LINDA PURPURA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Harris Teeter here is in the process of adding a total of 491,000 square feet to two distribution centers, one of which will add space to handle perishables and another that will begin to handle dry grocery.

The construction, which began in the fall of 1996, will add 174,000 square feet to the Greensboro, N.C., facility to accommodate perishable products and will add 317,000 square feet to the Indian Trail, N.C., facility to handle dry grocery.

Previously, the Greensboro warehouse only handled frozen and dry grocery while the warehouse in Indian Trail handled all perishables for the company, according to Ruth Kinzey, spokeswoman.

The expansion will help Harris Teeter to serve new stores in Virginia Beach, Va., and Nashville, Tenn., she said.

With the Greensboro facility handling frozens, dry grocery and perishables, Harris Teeter could, "for example, send a truck from this location to Virginia Beach and not have to truck something all the way from Indian Trail, so we will cut time and transportation costs," Kinzey told SN.

She added the Indian Trail facility handling dry grocery gives Harris Teeter the option, for example, to service Atlanta stores through the Indian Trail facility rather than through the Greensboro warehouse, which is farther away.

The current construction also includes an expansion of the depth of the docks and the addition of doors to both warehouses to improve cross-docking efforts. Flow racks and tiering products are aimed at improving slotting efficiencies, Kinzey said.