Business

Fresh Market unveils new look, food-to-go options

Deli clerk Patrick Ballard prepares to sell a bucket of fried chicken, a new product of the Fresh Market.

By Bill Moss, Published: September 27, 2013

Fresh Market, the popular upscale grocery store anchoring Southgate shopping center, on Saturday officially unveiled its newly remodeled and enlarged space that includes more prepared food to go, locally made products and expanded food sections.

The renovation of the grocery store, the third oldest in the 114-store Greensboro-based chain, got under way early this year. It's part of a major renovation of the shopping center that includes a doubling in size of Steinmart, which moves to the south side of the Fresh Market sometime next year, and redesign and landscaping of the parking lot.
Inside the store, shoppers will find wider aisles and new food offerings.
"Everything is new, the lighting fixtures, the floor, it's all new over all," assistant manager Brent Hudgins said. "All the cases are brand new. Pretty much every department has doubled in size."
The 3,500-square-foot expansion added new deli counters, seafood bar, a soup and salad bar and olive bar. The store also has expanded its bulk coffee selection and is buying more locally made products such as craft beer and coffee. It now has fried chicken.

Grand reopening specials available through Tuesday include $5.99 buckets of chicken, two-for-one baby back ribs, $2.99 ground chuck and $6.99 salmon.
Stefan Taylor, another assistant manager, said the store, which is close to 30 years old, has a loyal base of shoppers who have kept coming through all the construction. The store remained open while the work was under way.
"Our customers are amazing," Taylor said.
The parking lot work, delayed by the heavy summer rain, is scheduled to be done by late October, said store manager Michelle Patterson, an East Henderson High School graduate who has worked for Fresh Market for 13 years. Construction is under way on the expansion that will enable Stein Mart to add a men's department, children's department and housewares.
Founded in 1982, Fresh Market is a publicly traded company with 114 stores in 21 states and annual revenue of $1.4 billion.