The Fresh Grocer
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Grocery |
| Founded | 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Founder | Patrick J. Burns |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 24 (2024) |
Area served | New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania |
Key people | Patrick J. Burns (president and CEO) |
Number of employees | 1,500 |
| Parent | Wakefern Food Corporation |
| Website | thefreshgrocer |
The Fresh Grocer is a supermarket chain based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania that operates twenty-four stores in the greater Philadelphia and the greater Scranton areas of Pennsylvania, as well as one store in the greater Pittsburgh area, and northern New Jersey and Long Island, New York.[1] Founded in 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as an independent company, the company became a member of the Wakefern Food Corporation, a retailers' cooperative, in 2013.[2]
History
[edit]The Fresh Grocer opened in 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] The Fresh Grocer has locations on Chestnut Street and Broad Street in North Philadelphia.[3][4] On August 1, 2013, The Fresh Grocer became a member of Wakefern. One of the stores was converted to the ShopRite name while the others retained the Fresh Grocer name.[5] The Fresh Grocer location in Wilmington, Delaware closed on December 9, 2019.
Expansion
[edit]The chain opened four new Fresh Grocer stores in March 2016, all in former Pathmark stores that were purchased at auction. The stores are in Wyncote, Upper Darby, Brookhaven, and Monument Avenue in Philadelphia.[6]
Since 2001, the University of Pennsylvania made efforts to remove The Fresh Grocer from its Walnut Street location. In 2017, The Fresh Grocer was asked to vacate the property after failing to renew its lease. The grocery store sued University of Pennsylvania maintaining its intention to stay at the location.[7]
In 2018, Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf spoke at The Fresh Grocer regarding boost pay in Pennsylvania allowing "hundreds of thousands of additional salaried employees eligible for overtime pay".[8][9]
In 2019, Nicholas Markets, which previously operated as part of the Foodtown chain, joined the Wakefern cooperative, switching their stores to the Fresh Grocer banner, bringing the total stores under the banner to 13.[10] In 2022, Gerrity's Supermarkets announced that they would be transitioning their 10 stores from the ShurSave banner to The Fresh Grocer banner, bringing the total stores under the banner to 23. Gerrity's Supermarkets completed this transition in late 2022. [11]
In 2024, The Fresh Grocer announced its entrance into New York through the opening of a new location in Oakdale at the Lighthouse Commons shopping center on Montauk Highway, formerly home to a Best Market. The store, owned and operated by the Thompson family, spans 26,000 square feet. [12]
References
[edit]- ^ "About Us". shop.thefreshgrocer.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ a b Springer, Jon (July 31, 2013). "Fresh Grocer Joins Wakefern Co-op". Supermarket News.
- ^ Laura Ingraham (13 July 2010). The Obama Diaries. Simon and Schuster. pp. 167–. ISBN 978-1-4391-9844-5.
- ^ Erin Vans (1 February 2017). Duplicity and Duress: Snap Factories in the Making. BookBaby. pp. 287–. ISBN 978-1-4835-9211-4.
- ^ "Fresh Grocer to join Shop Rite's supplier, Wakefern Food Corp".
- ^ "Wakefern Reports Record Sales; 16 New Units In Real Estate Plan". Food Trade News. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Adelman, Jacob (11 April 2017). "Penn, Fresh Grocer are taking each other to court over U. City supermarket site". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ Levy, Marc (2018-01-17). "Wolf Taking Steps to Expand Who Gets OT Pay in Pennsylvania". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ Lindstrom, Natasha (2018-01-17). "Wolf proposes controversial overhaul of Pennsylvania's overtime rules". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ Stine, Lauren (November 1, 2019). "Nicholas Markets joins Wakefern, rebrands as The Fresh Grocer". Grocery Dive. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Gerrity's conversion to The Fresh Grocer gets under way". Supermarket News. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
- ^ White, Mike (2024-03-18). "The Fresh Grocer announces summer 2024 opening in Oakdale". Greater Long Island. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
- Wakefern Food Corporation
- American companies established in 1996
- Retail companies established in 1996
- Companies based in Middlesex County, New Jersey
- Food and drink companies based in Philadelphia
- Retailers' cooperatives in the United States
- Supermarkets of the United States
- Cooperatives based in Pennsylvania