Business and Financial The Fresh Market to Open West Manatee Location

BRADENTON – If you've been wondering what all of the construction has been about on the corner of the Northwest Promenade shopping plaza at 67th Street and Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton, wonder no more – it's the future site of a new The Fresh Market location. The upscale grocer has announced that it will be opening its second Manatee County location this fall, after finding success in Lakewood Ranch at the Kohls Plaza on the corner of University and Honore.

The 110-store chain is a competitor of Whole Foods, marketing a broad line of specialty products, organics, upmarket wines and cheeses, gourmet coffee, an old-style butcher and prepared meals, in addition to more traditional grocery products. The high-end anchor is a welcome addition to an area that has suffered during the economic downturn.

Both a Beef O'Brady's and a Good Earth natural food store were recently shuttered in the space The Fresh Market will occupy. Across 67th Street, the neighboring strip mall lost one of its major tenants when Save-A-Lot closed the location at the plaza anchored by Bealls last January. Though that location still sits empty, a Richard's Whole Foods and a new location for the locally-owned Poppi's Restaurant chain opened in the strip last year (joining Planet Fitness who opened in 2009), while the Northwest Promenade added a Sunny Bunny and held onto 5 Guys Burger and Fries.

A few blocks south, Tampa-based Salem's Gyros & Subs also opened a new location next to Basil's, near the new Starbucks. The area seems to be on an uptick. The Fresh Market will likely compete for customers with the Sweetbay just a few blocks south and the Publix just to the north on Manatee Ave and 75th Street W, both of which offer a selection of upscale and specialty products in addition to their more conventional grocery store fare.