Fresh Market Coming to Bradenton

Construction of a new Fresh Market is under way in the Northwest Promenade, at the corner of 67th Street and Manatee Avenue West.

“Fresh Markets is hoping for a mid-fall opening,” said Todd Mathes. “It will be upscale, to attract the higher incomes on or near the water.”

Mathes directs development for Benderson Development, a Manatee-based private company with investments in 34 states. The company builds new retail spaces, renovates existing shopping centers and develops hotels.

The store will include a bakery and what it describes as an “old-style butcher shop,” plus a seafood market. It will also feature a deli with prepared meals and platters and trays for self-catered events.

Fresh Markets focus on handmade, prepared foods that are upscale and come with a higher price. The markets also tend to have a large selection of wines, cheeses, fresh flowers and gourmet food items.

Benderson documents indicate that the average household income within three miles of the Fresh Market is $73,659. The new grocery will encompass 40,000 square feet at one end of the shopping center.

“It will be exactly like the Fresh Market on University” Parkway, Mathes said. “It’s an exciting redevelopment project.”

Fresh Market has announced on its website plans for the Bradenton store. It also allows the public to apply for jobs on its website, though the Bradenton openings are not yet listed. The company has not said how many people it plans to hire for the new grocery store.

The Fresh Market started in 1982 in Greensboro, North Carolina. There are now 110 stores in 21 states. Twenty-five are in Florida, with a Fresh Market opening a year ago in St. Petersburg. The new Bradenton store will be the second in the county, even though the University Parkway store is listed as a Sarasota location.

The shopping center at 67th Street and Manatee Avenue has a and a Sunni Bunni frozen yogurt store as well as other retail establishments. The Fresh Market takes over the space where Beef O'Bradys and The Good Earth, a natural foods store, were located.