The Fresh Market recently opened a store in the Algonquin Commons shopping center on Randall Road. Paul Valade/[email protected]

Despite having shed a few stores in recent years, The Fresh Market grocerychain based in North Carolina is in the midst of a true growth spurt, bringingits distinct stores to redeveloping areas of the suburbs.

Its eight Chicago-area locations include new ones in Naperville, Northbrookand Algonquin, with two more on the way to the redeveloping Yorktown Centerin Lombard and The District at Veridian in Schaumburg.

Among its recent and future suburban sites, there appears an undeniableemphasis on new construction rather than taking over abandoned spaces.

The March opening of a 27,000-square-foot store at the Algonquin Commonsshopping center in Algonquin brought the company’s fourth new location tothe region within five months.

Algonquin Community Development Director Patrick Knapp said The FreshMarket is part of an intensive upgrade of the shopping center that began fouryears ago.

“It does mean a lot to the village to bring in a high-quality grocer like The FreshMarket,” Knapp said. “We didn’t have a large grocer at the south end of town. It’san experience as well as a grocer. You need to go there to experience it. You canget dinner to go while you’re there.”

Knapp believes the company may have been recognizing opportunities torebrand itself with the added amenities and construction change orders thatwere part of its roughly two-year build-out. Its influence might already beshowing in the plans of one of its competitors to add a coffee bar.

“I think The Fresh Market is really looking at the market and being a leader,”Knapp said.

The future site of The Fresh Market at the southwest corner of Algonquin andMeacham roads in Schaumburg, where it will anchor the 30-acre mixed-usedevelopment called The District at Veridian.

While things are on the upswing now, it’s not because of a flawless first take onthe Chicago-area market, according to John C. Melaniphy, president of theChicago-based retail consulting firm Melaniphy & Associates.

Before the current wave, The Fresh Market closed its stores in Lincolnshire,Kildeer and Glen Ellyn, Melaniphy said.

“It’s a highly competitive market, but they’re finding their niche,” he added.“They are reorienting themselves to the Chicago market. It’s all about location,location, location and their customer profile. It will take time to see how theygrow and develop their customer base.”

The locations the company is targeting demonstrate a strong averagehousehold income and population growth. The Schaumburg location, forinstance, will anchor a high-density residential development following recentlycompleted ones nearby, Melaniphy said.

The numbers alone can explain The Fresh Market’s interest in the Chicago-areamarket, as well as specific areas such as Schaumburg where a late 2026 openingis anticipated, he added.

Last year, the retail grocery market in the Chicago region generated $21.6billion, a 7.7% increase from the year before, Melaniphy said. And Schaumburg’s2024 grocery sales were $328 million of the village’s overall $4.2 billion in retailsales.

“That’s how big the pie is, but it’s getting divided up in different ways,” he said.

While vacancies in older buildings now are declining, thus bringing larger rentsfor new construction, The Fresh Market is likely encountering a welcomingbusiness environment, Melaniphy said.

“I think this is an excellent time to come into the market, when landlords anddevelopers may be hungry for a new tenant,” he added.

And many of the attributes of The District at Veridian also can be found at theredeveloping Yorktown Center, according to its Marketing & BusinessDevelopment Manager Gayle Gleespen.

“The center is undergoing a major reconstruction, adding residential,” she said.“We’re evolving the traditional shopping center experience. We’ve always hadthe vision of having a more boutique grocer. (The Fresh Market is) very (well)known for being a boutique grocer.”

The store is expected to open in Lombard later this year. But Gleespen said heranticipation of the finished product is based on her experience of the Napervillelocation.

“Everything is very clean,” she said. “You walk in, you’re greeted by freshproduce and fresh flowers. It smells good. It feels curated. It feels verypurposeful. It’s a more comfortable experience. We’re very excited to have themjoin the shopping center.”

Representatives of The Fresh Market’s corporate headquarters did not respondto a request for comment.