Following a short string of several strategic announcements for the company, The Fresh Market has another to add to the list as it calibrates its retail approach in the competitive market. Signaling a possible revamp to its operations, the company has delayed the opening of three of its new locations in Missouri, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
Although no new opening dates have yet to be given, several news sources cited that the company gave reorganization and reprioritization within its business model as reason for delay. These changes come subsequent from The Fresh Markets recent purchase by Apollo Global Management earlier this year, for $1.36 billion.
The Fresh Market has pushed back the opening of its Springfield, Missouri, which was originally planned to open this fall. As reported by News-Leader.com, the shopping center to house the store is still a bare lot.
"The development of the shopping center has not progressed as quickly as we had originally planned, so we have prioritized other projects in our pipeline, and have not finitely determined when we might open," The Fresh Market stated, according to News-Leader.
Similarily, The Fresh Market announced a delay for its West Manchester Township location in Pennsylvania, originally slated to open this summer, according to Ydr.com
Frank Mihalopoulos, one of the developers for the town center for the location, stated that the company has indicated the store is still planned to open for the holiday season, and was delayed so The Fresh Market could redesign the interior to reflect merchandise changes.
"We have put our York location temporarily on hold, and do not have a definitive time frame for completing the project," Fresh Market said in an email provided by Carly Dennis at Brave Public Relations, as reported by Ydr.com. "For the time being, we are focused on building our business with other investments in our existing stores."
The company’s first location in Clay County, Florida, has also been delayed, although sources report that its shopping center is still scheduled to open on time.
“They can’t tell us when they’re opening because they don’t know,” stated John O’Connor of O’Connor Development Corporation to The Florida Times-Union. “But this is a $10 million project. We’re still counting on them doing it. They’ve got a legal obligation.”
O’Connor also told The Florida Times-Union that even though the shopping center in Fleming Island will open at the end of the month, The Fresh Market has yet to start its interior build-out in the spot. This could represent an even further delay in the store’s opening.
At the time of this writing, The Fresh Market had no stores listed on its website under the Coming Soon section.
The Fresh Market has not yet given a definitive time frame for the final open dates for these locations. Given the chain’s recent announcement that it would close 13 stores and exit the market in three states, it’s still unclear whether consumers can expect even bigger changes or delays from the company as it reportedly restructures its business model.
What could these shift, delays, and strategies mean for the retailer in the ever-changing competitive market? Deli Market News will continue to have the latest.
