ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Three Ingles Markets stores that were damaged by Tropical Storm Helene and have remained closed for more than 16 months are expected to reopen in 2026 and 2027, the Asheville-based grocery chain said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ingles did not provide specific reopening dates for the stores — located in Swannanoa, Spruce Pine and Morganton.
Helene swept through Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, causing catastrophic flooding, widespread power and communication outages, major road closures and loss of life. Ingles said four stores were damaged badly enough to require temporary closure; three remain closed as of the company’s most recent annual report.
In the fiscal year ended Sept. 28, 2024, Ingles reported $30.4 million in impairment losses related to inventory and $4.5 million in losses tied to damaged property and equipment from the storm. Those figures do not include future repair and rebuilding costs or revenue lost during store closures. During fiscal year 2025, the company said it spent about $9 million on cleanup and repairs and received $6.2 million in insurance proceeds.
In Swannanoa, demolition began last month at the former Ingles site along U.S. Highway 70. Crews have been removing the gas station and other storm-damaged structures, including a strip building that previously housed a post office and an Ace Hardware store.
Ingles has submitted plans to Buncombe County to rebuild at the Swannanoa location, proposing a 95,391-square-foot store at 2317 U.S. 70. The plans, filed Sept. 9, call for demolishing the existing buildings and replacing the former 65,542-square-foot store with a significantly larger one.
Despite damage to multiple properties, Ingles said its distribution center near Asheville returned to full operation within two weeks of the storm. The company’s milk processing and packaging plant did not sustain physical damage but was affected by water supply disruptions for about a month.
As of Sept. 27, 2025, Ingles operated 185 supermarkets under the Ingles name and nine Sav-Mor stores across six states. Those totals exclude the three stores still closed because of hurricane damage.
