The owner of Reid's Fine Foods, an upscale grocery store that left its uptown location last year, said the store is reopening Tuesday at the Selwyn Corners shopping center. And a private equity firm announced it has bought Charlotte-based Firebirds, a Colorado-inspired chain of wood-fired grills.
Reid's closed last year after its former owner claimed the economy was hurting sales. The old 13,500-square-foot store at the Seventh Street Station is scheduled to open in July as a food market with around 30 vendors.
The new Reid's, owned by Tom Coker, will be near Selwyn Avenue and Colony Road. The store will have specialty foods, including a butcher shop, deli and bakery, and will also offer gifts, fine wines and cooking classes.
In restaurant news, Firebirds has been sold to Angelo, Gordon & Co, a New York-based private equity firm that manages over $24 billion. Firebirds, which was founded in 2000, operates three Charlotte restaurants and 15 other locations from Alabama to Delaware.
Angelo Gordon said that Firebirds co-founders Dennis Thompson and Doug Glendenning will stay on as directors and shareholders of the company, and Mark Eason will remain Firebirds CEO. The deal's terms were not disclosed, but Angelo Gordon said it's private equity arm focuses on investments ranging from $50 to $500 million.
"Firebirds has all the hallmarks of a great restaurant company and is comparable to the best I’ve worked with over the past 15 years as a restaurant investor," said Angelo Gordon managing director Richard Leonard, in a statement. "They’ve built a great company and we think Firebirds will be successful across a wide range of geographies and markets. Our plan is to help the company grow significantly by adding locations over the next several years."