Dive Brief:
- The Fresh Market opened its first dedicated alcohol store Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the grocer announced Sunday.
- The more than 7,000-square-foot Spirits & Wine outlet sits next to one of the company’s grocery stores and features a selection of spirits, wines and craft beer along with mixers, snacks and serving accessories.
- With the new store, The Fresh Market joins other grocers like Publix, Hy-Vee and Lowes Foods in running standalone alcohol stores.
Dive Insight:
According to experts, many grocers that open standalone alcohol stores do so in response to local laws that govern the sale of spirits, wine and beer — and it appears The Fresh Market is no exception.
In Florida, grocers are allowed to sell wine and beer, but liquor must be sold in separate outlets. This has helped spur grocers like Publix and Southeastern Grocers to open such outlets in recent years. Publix, notably, began opening Publix Liquors locations in 2003 and now operates more than 350 of the shops.
In the Midwest, Hy-Vee operates four Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits outlets, while Lowes Foods operates three Knock Knock shops inside three grocery stores in South Carolina. In 2021, Winn-Dixie opened its first and only alcohol store, WDs Wine, Beer & Liquor.
The opening of Spirits & Wine comes during a period of store expansion for The Fresh Market. The company opened eight stores last year and plans to open at least that many this year, President and CEO Brian Johnson recently told the Triad Business Journal. In recent years, the company, which is majority-owned by South American retailer Cencosud, has refocused on its identity as an upscale specialty grocer.
Johnson, who previously served as The Fresh Market’s COO, took over the top role at the chain last month after former chief executive Jason Potter departed to lead struggling discount chain Grocery Outlet. The Fresh Market currently operates about 165 grocery stores across 22 states.
