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New MetroWest grocery store closing after less than a year
The closure will leave the big box store empty again, after its former tenant, Bed Bath & Beyond, closed in 2020.
An upscale grocery store chain is closing its doors in Framingham after it opened less than a year ago.
In a WARN notice to the state, The Fresh Market said it will lay off 50 employees as of Dec. 14.
“As a growing company, we regularly evaluate our store portfolio to ensure alignment with our strategic goals,” a company spokesperson told WBZ-TV in a statement. “While closing our Framingham store was a difficult decision, The Fresh Market continues to focus on growth, and we eagerly anticipate the opening of four new stores by early 2026.”
In a statement, the company said the exact closing date will depend on when the store sells out of its inventory. All items in the store, excluding alcohol and gift cards, are now 25% off.
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The company also said it will work with its staff members to find opportunities at nearby stores and will provide severance to employees who stay on until closure.
Framingham welcomed the store with a ribbon-cutting on Dec. 11.
Once again, the closure will empty the big box store off Route 9 at the border of Framingham and Natick. The Fresh Market took over the vacant store located at 84 Worcester Road, which was formerly a Bed Bath & Beyond. That store closed in 2020, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Shoppers can still visit the nearby Stop & Shop, ALDI, MOM’s Organic Market, Target, Walmart, and other smaller markets.
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Headquartered in North Carolina, The Fresh Market operates 172 stores in 22 states. It has two other locations in the state: Hingham and Mansfield.
As of July 2022, Cencosud, a Chile-based company, had acquired the majority of the grocery store’s shares. The private equity firm, Apollo Global Management, owns the remainder.
Cencosud operates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and the U.S., and encompasses several business lines, such as supermarkets, home improvement stores, department stores, shopping centers, and financial services.
In 2023, Cencosud said it will continue expanding The Fresh Market with plans to add 22 additional stores in 2024 and 2025.
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