Photo by Cady Inabinett.
The Fresh Market's U.S. 280 location will be closing.
The Fresh Market on U.S. 280 has officially closed its doors, the grocery chain said Wednesday. The store officially closed on July 23.
Regarding the store's closure, company spokesman Patrice Molnar said, "After providing guests with a 30 percent discount on all in store purchases and then increasing it to 50 on all remaining items, we sold through the inventory and the store closed on July 23. We have encouraged guest to shop our nearby location at 549 Brookwood Village, Homewood, AL."
The Fresh Market had announced the closure of its location on U.S. 280 at Inverness in July.
In a statement sent in July regarding the store’s closure, Molnar said the company decided to close the 4700 U.S. 280 location after a “detailed organizational analysis” of Fresh Market stores and because the leases at these locations were nearing their end.
Molnar said the company would help employees who will be out of work because of the closing of the Inverness store.
“We are committed to supporting our affected team members by facilitating transfers to nearby The Fresh Market locations and for those unable to transfer, we will provide severance packages to ease their transition,” the statement said.
This location’s closure leaves the Fresh Market in Homewood at Brookwood Village as the only one remaining in the Birmingham metro area. Six locations will remain open in the state. Along with the announcement of the closing of the Fresh Market in Inverness, the company announced the closing of a store in Valrico, Florida.
After the initial announcement, shoppers flocked to the store to shop a 30-percent off sale being held in conjunction with the store’s closing.
One shopper, Carol Coley, said The Fresh Market’s closure will be felt by customers looking for speciality items and a wide selection.
“Typically I come here for specialty foods, special-occasion-type items,” Coley said. “I think it’s kind of one of the go-to places when you want something special.”
When asked if she thought she would continue to shop at The Fresh Market’s Homewood location, Coley said, “I will not drive to Homewood to go to Fresh Market. I’ll go to Piggly Wiggly.”
Fresh Market said the company plans to open multiple new locations this year despite the two closings.
“While closing a store is never easy, The Fresh Market is on a growth trajectory, with plans to open 12 new stores in the second half of this year, reaffirming our commitment to serving our guests with high-quality products and exceptional service,” the statement said.
