Lowes Foods will debut its long-awaited Carolina Forest store on Wednesday, May 7. The 46,000 square-foot store, located at 215 Fresh Drive at the Intersection of River Oaks Drive and International Drive, will be the first Lowes Foods store in South Carolina, and the second in the chain, to boast signature offerings significantly different from other grocers.

“Lowes Foods is extremely proud to be a locally owned, Carolina based grocer.  We place an emphasis on supporting local farmers and producers,” said Tim Lowe, President of Lowes Foods.   Lowe continued, “We are also very proud of the new store and team members we have in Carolina Forest.  We invite our new neighbors to experience grocery shopping like never before.”  Some of the features in the new Carolina Forest Lowes Foods include:

●    The Community Table - At the heart of our new store is The Community Table.  This table made from reclaimed wood from an abandoned tobacco barn invites our guests to “gather ‘round the table” and sample the best of local products.  This will be a destination for local farmers and vendors who will share the unique stories behind their products.  The table will also feature events such as recipe sampling, crafts for children, and “how to pick a lobster.”  Guests will be able to interact with our Smart Shoppers - Nutritionist, Cindy Silver will host groups for gluten free eating, Amal Wood will have a session on time management and efficient shopping, and Andrea Everhart will host a couponing class.

●    Pick & Prep – Like having your own personal sous chef.   You select the fruits or vegetables.  Our Pick & Prep hosts will use their advanced knife skills to chop, slice, or julienne – however you need it for your recipe or snack.  You can customize your mix for a recipe or pick up one that is already prepared.  This is a time saver!

●    The Chicken Kitchen –When they enter the store, our guests will notice a giant Chicken Chandelier.  This is the home of Chicken Kitchen, a destination for the best in all things chicken – fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, chicken salad, and our Cock-a-Doodle-Noodle Soup – plus all the fixin’s to make it a meal.  When the rotisserie chickens are ready to come out of the oven, the animatronic chicken atop the chandelier flaps its wings and helps our hosts lead our guests in the chicken dance.    The Chicken Kitchen also has its own mascot!

●    SausageWorks – The Sausage Professor has concocted over 20 unique flavors of sausage – from sweet tea and bourbon to a sausage that tastes like a steak.   The resident “professors” will sample sausages from the grill and cook sausage to order.   All of the sausages are locally made in the Carolinas.  Our younger guests can also “work” by selecting buttons and pulling levers that operate custom animatronics in the SausageWorks sign.  To sample many flavors at one time, guests can join us on May 10th at the Community Table for SausageWorks Speed Dating.  Guests will be able to “meat” their match as they rate each sausage as “love it,” “I am intrigued,” or “not my type.”

•      The Beer Den – The growler station is the highlight of the craft beer collection. Guests can purchase 64-ounce growlers and then have them filled with craft beers direct from the tap.  The area also offers hundreds of craft beer bottles, including “make your own” six-packs.

Other services offered by Lowes Foods include:

Gas Rewards:

Lowes Foods guests can earn FREE gas with our Gas Rewards program.    Guests earn 5₵ for every $100 they spend.  Specially marked items allow bonus gas rewards.  From time to time, there are also other bonus opportunities.  The best part about the Lowes Foods Gas Rewards program is that the rewards accrue for thirty days, and guests can earn free gas!

Lowes Foods to Go:  

Let us do the shopping for you!  Guests can go online in the comfort of their home or at the office, select their groceries, and reserve a pick up time.  A trained personal shopper will shop for the groceries and meet the guest at their car.

The Carolina Forest Lowes will employ 180 employees, called hosts.  The environmentally friendly store is energy efficient and features natural skylights and new “blade” lights that are dimmable to adjust to the amount of natural light.  These are just part of a long list of features that enhance the ambiance of the store and result in significant energy savings.  

The Carolina Forest store will open Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. and will be managed by John Lee, a proud member of the Lowes Foods team who has been in the grocery business for 35 years.  Regular store hours will be 7 am - 11 pm.

The Carolina Forest store marks Lowes Foods fourth location on the Grand Strand.  An additional store is scheduled to open in Pawleys Island on June 4.