Dive Brief:
- The Fresh Market opened its second Louisville, Kentucky, location on Wednesday as the grocer continues to bolster its presence in its existing markets.
- The specialty grocer has experienced a growth spurt these last few months, opening five storefronts since September.
- However, with just weeks left in 2024, The Fresh Market has opened less than a fourth of the locations it planned to open as part of an ambitious store growth project.
Dive Insight:
The new Louisville store marks the specialty grocer’s third in the state and builds on efforts to add 22 new locations by August 2025, growing the overall store fleet by 14%.
The Fresh Market’s newest store measures 25,000 square feet and is located at 4100 Summit Plaza Drive. The newly opened store will offer a variety of foodservice options, including hot and ready pizza and in-house smoked barbecue, as well as provide curbside pickup and delivery services.
Since announcing its expansion plans last summer, The Fresh Market has opened six new locations, making the new Louisville store the grocer’s 165th storefront. Store openings from this year include new locations in Lakewood Ranch, Florida; Naperville, Illinois; Crofton, Maryland; Seminole, Florida; and its first store in Chicago. All of these locations opened between April and December of this year.
In July, The Fresh Market announced plans to open two new Washington, D.C., area stores over the next three years, bringing its presence in the metro area to four locations.
The Fresh Market’s expansion efforts come at a time of exceptional growth for specialty grocers. A Placer.ai report released last month revealed that specialty and discount grocers have consistently outperformed traditional supermarkets in monthly year-over-year visit growth.
