Fresh Market delays openings, names Supervalu as supplier

The Fresh Market confirmed earlier this summer that it has re-evaluated certain store openings as it takes time to develop its long-term growth strategy. The stores whose opening dates have been delayed include York, PA and three others in FL, VA and MO.

The store under construction in Blue Bell, PA was not listed and will presumably open as scheduled, although I'm sure The Fresh Market didn't expect McCaffrey's to open across the street when they signed their lease.

During an earnings conference call last November, The Fresh Market CEO Rick Anicetti said the company needed to comprehensively reassess the chain's value proposition due to an influx of competition and a slowdown in sales and profitability. After the company was sold to Apollo Global Capital earlier this year, The Fresh Market announced 13 store closures.

In related news, The Fresh Market announced earlier this month that it had reached a long-term supply agreement with Supervalu to serve as the grocer's wholesaler and distributor. According to a report in Supermarket News, the deal calls for Supervalu to supply The Fresh Market with traditional and signature grocery products across a range of categories. Once The Fresh Market's existing supply contracts expire, Supervalu will become the chain's primary wholesaler.

McCaffrey's planning two new PA stores

McCaffrey's Food Markets announced recently that it would open a new, small format store in Doylestown, as well as a 50,000 square foot store in Blue Bell that was previously occupied by Super Fresh. Both stores are expected to open in the spring.

The Doylestown store will be called Simply Fresh by McCaffrey's and will occupy only 13,000 square feet. It will be located in a restored landmark building and offer gourmet prepared foods and sandwiches, crepes, sushi, cheeses, custom cakes, gourmet coffee, and hundreds of organic and exotic products offerings.

McCaffrey's currently has four stores in PA and NJ.

McCaffrey's reaping harvest from local greenhouse

McCaffrey's Market, with stores in Pennsylvania (Yardley, Newtown) and New Jersey (Princeton, West Windsor), is now selling produce "that's just about as local as you can get," according to company officials.

Produce is bring grown hydronically by New York-based BrightFarms in a newly constructed, 50,000 square foot greenhouse down the road from one of McCaffrey's stores.

"We're going to be getting baby romaine, baby kale, spring mix and baby arugula," according to the company's produce buyer. The packages, filled at the greenhouse, will bear a sticker indicating the product was grown locally for McCaffrey's.

Later harvests will yield additional varieties of produce.

Audubon store to be last Genuardi's standing

It appears that by the end of the year there will be one Genuardi's grocery store left. With the Evesham, Egg Harbor and Barnegat stores slated to close soon, Audubon, PA will be home to the only remaining Genuardi's.

Earlier this year, Genuardi's closed stores in Royersford, Exton and Norristown. Over the summer, 15 Genuardi's transitioned to Giant, three to Weis and one to McCaffrey's. In August, the Cherry Hill site closed. That left four stores, three of which are closing, as mentioned above.

In a recent article the Audubon store manager said his supermarket is in it for the long hall, but that doesn't seem likely. Besides, Safeway's Eastern Division President Steve Neibergall said months ago that the company has decided to exit the Philadelphia market.

Genuardi's... and then there were 4

Five Genuardi's stores transitioned to Giant last week and 10 more will transition later this month. Three Genuardi's stores reopened as Weis supermarkets last month, and one will be a McCaffrey's within a couple weeks. For those (like me) keeping score, that leaves five open and operating.

Next month it'll be down to four. The Cherry Hill Genuardi's, located in Ellisburg Circle Shopping Center, will close on August 4, according to published reports. Safeway couldn't find a buyer for the store, and is still looking for buyers for the remaining supermarkets in New Jersey (Barnegat, Egg Harbor, Evesham) and Audubon, PA.

More on the McCaffrey's-Giant-Genuardi's deal...

Although I already wrote about McCaffrey's deal with Giant to take the Genuardi's space in Newtown, PA (McCaffrey's to acquire Genuardi's in Newtown, PA), Maria Panaritis' story in today's Philadelphia Inquirer sheds more light on the deal.

Philadelphia Inquirer: In the end, a small supermarket chain gets its Genuardi's

McCaffrey's to acquire Genuardi's in Newtown, PA

On Monday I referenced a Food Trade News story that said the Newtown, PA Genuardi's will be acquired by an independent operator rather than by Giant, as previously planned. Yesterday it was announced that the independent operator is actually McCaffrey's Market, which operates stores in nearby Lower Makefield, PA as well as East Windsor and Princeton, NJ.

Giant, which announced in January that it was planning to acquire 16 Genuardi's stores, was forced to give up the Newtown location by the Federal Trade Commission, due to its nearby store in Middletown Township.

According to McCaffrey's, the store will retain Genuardi's 103 employees and hire an additional 40-50 workers. In addition, the store will be remodeled over a four-to-five month period to transform it into a typical McCaffrey's market.