By Susan E. Campbell
The Fresh Market, a specialty grocery store,
may soon deliver the high quality grocery products
and customer service that many shoppers
in the Saratoga area look for.
The national chain has agreed to occupy one
of three buildings on the site of an upcoming
mixed-use development on Marion Avenue
between Route 50 and Excelsior Avenue.
“The Fresh Market has built its reputation
on being an extraordinary food destination
store,” according to Drewry Sackett, public
relations and community relations manager for
the South Carolina-based company.
“Our customers discover that our stores are committed to variety, freshness and value,” said Sackett. “The Fresh Market provides a unique shopping experience, from bountiful produce and a full-service meat counter to convenient prepared foods and an in-store bakery.”
The Fresh Markets have an “old world feel” and a “warm and inviting atmosphere” that Saratogians can enjoy, Sackett said. “Our stores are more intimate than a typical supermarket or big box store.”
The Fresh Market’s lease is signed but the developer, Beechwood Associates LLC, has yet to break ground on the project.
Saratoga Springs approved a 20,000-squarefoot building for The Fresh Market, a second building with the same square footage for retail use, and a 41-unit apartment complex with an additional 14,000 square feet of lease space, according to the minutes from the March Planning Board meeting.
Sackett said that each new store brings approximately 90 jobs to the market, almost all of which are filled locally. The Fresh Market is an equal opportunity employer. The three other Fresh Market stores in New York include Latham, Scarsdale and, later in the year, Woodbury.
“We are always on the lookout for markets where shoppers appreciate high-quality food and outstanding customer service,” Sackett said. “Saratoga Springs is just such a place and we look forward to serving this community.”
At the corporate level, The Fresh Market has a long-standing relationship with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help raise awareness for research related to Type 1 diabetes affecting children. Through the corporation’s annual fall Sidewalk Sale, The Fresh Market helps raise needed funds for the non-profit organization, Sackett said.
Additionally, a national partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign was recently announced with the goal of raising funds and awareness for that organization’s mission to end childhood hunger in America.
Locally, each store partners with local food banks to donate food, as well as supports community organizations through a quarterly budget dedicated to community relations, according to Sackett.
Customers can sign up for a weekly e-mail newsletter, “Fresh Ideas,” which reports current specials, cooking demonstrations and special events at their local store, and to follow The Fresh Market on Facebook or Twitter.