Copyright Chicago Tribune
North Carolina-based grocery chain The Fresh Market is closing its Naperville location less than a year after opening at 204 S. Route 59 in the Westridge Court shopping center, a company representative confirmed. “As a growing company, we regularly evaluate our store portfolio to ensure alignment with our strategic goals. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to close our location in Naperville,” according to a statement from the company. It took nearly two years to bring the grocery store chain to Naperville, with work beginning on the store in early 2023. The Fresh Market replaced a Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse, which relocated to the Aurora side of Westridge Court. “(What) it really comes down to is we’re trying to make sure we’ve got our resources all traveling the right direction,” company spokesman Sam Wroblewski said. While he declined to comment on the finances of the Naperville location, “this wasn’t what maybe we expected,” he said. A final closing day will be contingent on what the store sells of its inventory. A 25% off sale in underway for all merchandise other than alcohol and gift cards. While the company is closing its Naperville spot as well as a location in Framingham, Massachusetts, it plans to open four new locations across the country later this year and early next year. One of those new stores will be in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood at 1233 N. Wells St. “Our big thing is Chicago’s a really big growth area for us. It’s one that we’re very confident in,” Wroblewski said. “So the way we look at it is that (a closure is) an unfortunate side effect of being a company that is growing, but it’s one where we just continuously reinvest in this area.” Earlier this year, The Fresh Market opened two new stores in Illinois, one in Northbrook and another in Algonquin. It also has locations in Crystal Lake, Geneva, Wilmette, Lake Forest and Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. One recent shopper, former Naperville resident Jacob Holmblad, said he believed Fresh Market’s prices were too high to justify shopping there on a regular basis. He first visited the store about the time it opened after seeing an advertisement on Facebook. “We went in there to check it out because it was a new store, and saw how crazy the prices were for just ordinary things that other stores have or that you could make at home,” the 39-year-old said. “I didn’t think the store would be there too long anyway, but especially with so many other stores and the options that you have at Naperville.” But for Aurora resident Deborah Sievers, 51, the closure comes as a disappointment. She said that before the Naperville location opened, she used to drive 30 minutes to The Fresh Market in Geneva to buy specialty grocery items. With the Naperville location, the drive was about six minutes, she said. “My husband and I really loved it for certain things, like really nice fresh produce or really great bakery items, and their cakes are a steal as well,” Sievers said. “It was just very sad to see that it’s closing.” Started in 1982 in Greensboro, North Carolina, The Fresh Market advertises itself as “a destination for those looking to discover the best” in items such as prepared foods, produce, meat and seafood, according to their website. “We were very disappointed,” said Rich Dippolito, vice president of redevelopment for Brixmor Property Group, which owns Westridge Court. “They’re a wonderful store. They’re a wonderful tenant. We really enjoyed having them as part of the shopping center,” Dippolito said the property group is in the process of looking for a new occupant for the space. “We’re reaching out to other grocery stores and other tenants … we hope to build off the momentum that we’ve built with Block 59 and we’re confident we’ll find somebody soon. We just don’t have anybody lined up yet,” he said. The nearby Block 59 dining and entertainment complex, which Brixmor also oversees, is opening an ice rink in the complex in November and expects three new restaurants — Velvet Taco, Crisp & Green and Yard House — to open in the same month. cstein@chicagotribune.com
