Cary is getting a new Asian supermarket and downtown Raleigh is getting a swing-happy golf bar, in a one-two punch that says a lot about where Triangle retail is headed.
Go Fresh 365, an Asian-focused supermarket chain, has signed a lease at High House Crossing in Cary, taking over the former Lidl space. In Raleigh, indoor golf operator The Swing Bays is gearing up for a new spot at Seaboard Station, bringing simulator bays, coaching and a full bar to one of the city’s busiest mixed-use blocks. Together, the two deals highlight how grocers and experience-driven concepts are reshaping neighborhood shopping centers across the metro.
Kimco Realty's leasing package lists Go Fresh 365 as a planned tenant at High House Crossing and shows the grocer taking about 34,484 square feet at the center. The materials pitch the property as serving a dense, affluent trade area, which helps explain why a large-format grocer would commit to the site.
On its corporate site, Go Fresh 365 lists existing stores in Maryland, New York, Florida and Massachusetts, so the Cary store would extend the chain’s East Coast footprint. The company has not published a local opening timetable.
Seaboard Station Gets Indoor Golf
The Swing Bays is set to occupy roughly 5,800 square feet inside Seaboard Station and will offer six public simulator bays, a private instruction bay, club repair, golf retail, TPI training, a bar and a putting green, according to The News & Observer. The idea is part practice facility, part hangout spot, aimed at golfers who want serious reps and groups who just want a night out without trekking to the driving range.
Axios Raleigh reports that the concept will take over part of the existing Semart Drive retail building as part of a roughly 20,000-square-foot renovation, converting former gym space into new retail and dining spaces. It is another sign that older buildings in the district are being reworked to fit a more entertainment-heavy vision for the area.
What Shoppers Can Expect In Cary
Kimco Realty's marketing materials show High House Crossing with about 87,981 square feet of gross leasable area and demographics that skew well above the metro average in income and density. That profile makes it a natural landing spot for a full-scale grocer.
Elsewhere, Go Fresh 365 locations combine expanded produce and seafood departments with food-court-style prepared foods. That suggests Cary shoppers can expect a deeper lineup of Asian groceries and ready-to-eat options than at a typical suburban supermarket. Leasing experts say this kind of mix, with heavy grocery traffic paired with on-site dining, is a common way shopping centers keep people coming back as traditional retail faces pressure from online shopping.
Neither company has put a firm date on the calendar yet. The Swing Bays is aiming for an early 2027 opening, while Go Fresh 365 has not posted a scheduled debut, according to The News & Observer. For the Triangle, the two leases are a tidy snapshot of the new normal: empty big boxes and aging gyms getting a second life as places to grab groceries, meet friends, eat, drink and play.
