The Fresh Market in 2026: Inside a…

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Key Takeaways

The Fresh Market now operates more than 170 stores across 22 states, with particularly strong concentration in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Parent company Cencosud has committed roughly $600 million in investment for 2026, with seven new The Fresh Market stores planned as part of that spending, alongside renovations and expansions.
Cencosud became The Fresh Market's sole owner in September 2025, acquiring the remaining 33% stake from private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $295 million — completing a full buyout that began with Cencosud's initial 67% acquisition back in 2022.
The Fresh Market opened its first new store of 2026 in South Miami in late January, its eighth location in the Miami-Dade area alone, continuing an aggressive pace of roughly 12 new stores opened in just the six months prior.
The chain has racked up a genuinely unusual streak of consumer recognition, including being named Best Grocery Store in USA Today's 2026 10Best Readers' Choice Awards and topping Newsweek's Specialty/Natural/Ethnic Grocer category for 2025.

From a challenged retailer to a full Cencosud subsidiary

The Fresh Market's current growth phase follows a genuinely significant ownership transition that took several years to complete. Chilean retail conglomerate Cencosud first acquired a 67% stake in the Greensboro, North Carolina-based grocery chain in 2022 for $676 million, marking the company's entry into the US retail market. That arrangement left private equity firm Apollo Global Management holding the remaining minority stake until September 2025, when Cencosud bought out that final 33% for $295 million, giving it complete, full ownership of the chain for the first time.

That full-ownership structure appears to have unlocked a more aggressive expansion posture. Rather than the more cautious pace often associated with a company under split or private-equity-influenced ownership, Cencosud has since committed to a substantial $600 million investment plan for The Fresh Market specifically in 2026 — a figure announced during Cencosud's own investor-facing "Cenco Day" event, where the company also projected consolidated global revenues of $18.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $1.8 billion across its entire international retail portfolio, of which The Fresh Market's US operations are one part.

What that money is actually building

Of the roughly 20 new stores Cencosud plans to open across its various retail formats and countries in 2026, seven are specifically new The Fresh Market locations in the United States — a meaningful commitment to a single specialty grocery banner within a much larger, geographically diverse retail portfolio that also spans Chile, Peru, and other South American markets. The company has said roughly 70% of its overall 2026 capital expenditure is earmarked for growth initiatives broadly, including new stores, renovations, and shopping center expansions, rather than maintenance spending on existing locations.

The Fresh Market's own pace on the ground has already reflected that growth commitment well before the formal 2026 plan was announced. The chain opened roughly 12 new stores in just the six months leading up to April 2025, including locations in Jensen Beach, Florida; Wethersfield, Connecticut; Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; and Algonquin, Illinois — and continued that momentum into 2026 with its South Miami store in late January, its eighth location in the Miami-Dade market specifically, alongside additional openings in Lexington, Kentucky, and Chicago's Old Town neighborhood timed for the holiday shopping season.

Why a specialty grocer is expanding while the broader industry consolidates

The Fresh Market's growth stands out partly because of the broader competitive backdrop it's happening against. Grocery retail has faced persistent margin pressure and consolidation pressure across the industry, with many chains focused on discount formats and cost-cutting rather than premium positioning and store-count growth. Canadian retailer Metro, for comparison, has explicitly said its own new-store development will focus largely on its discount banners rather than premium formats — a strategic contrast to The Fresh Market's continued bet on the specialty, premium grocery positioning it's built its brand around for decades.

That positioning has been reinforced by a genuinely consistent run of consumer recognition. The Fresh Market was named Best Grocery Store in USA Today's 2026 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, sweeping additional categories including Best Grocery Store Bakery, Best Grocery Store Deli, Best Store Produce, and Best Grocery Store Prepared Foods, while also topping Newsweek's Specialty/Natural/Ethnic Grocer category for 2025 and earning recognition as one of America's Best Customer Service Companies. That combination of accolades — premium quality perception plus a genuinely differentiated shopping experience — appears to be exactly what Cencosud is betting its $600 million expansion plan on being able to replicate at scale across new markets.

What this means if you're watching this space

If you're tracking specialty grocery as a category, The Fresh Market's expansion runs counter to the discount-focused strategy several competitors have adopted. That divergence makes it a useful case study in whether premium positioning can support continued store-count growth even as parts of the broader grocery industry lean toward value formats instead.
If you're evaluating Cencosud's broader strategy, the full 2025 buyout of Apollo's stake appears to have been a genuine turning point for investment pace. The jump to a $600 million commitment specifically for The Fresh Market in the following year suggests full ownership removed some friction that a split ownership structure may have previously introduced.
If you live in or near one of The Fresh Market's target expansion markets — its recent openings have concentrated in Florida, the Midwest, and the Northeast — new locations are a reasonably active, ongoing pattern worth watching for, not a one-time event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns The Fresh Market? Chilean retail conglomerate Cencosud has owned The Fresh Market outright since September 2025, when it acquired the remaining 33% stake from private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $295 million, completing a buyout that began with an initial 67% stake acquisition in 2022.

How many The Fresh Market stores are there? The chain operates more than 170 stores across 22 states as of 2026, with a particularly strong presence in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Is The Fresh Market opening new stores in 2026? Yes — Cencosud has committed roughly $600 million toward The Fresh Market's growth in 2026, including seven new US store openings as part of that investment, continuing a pace of roughly a dozen new stores opened over the prior six-month stretch.

What makes The Fresh Market different from a typical grocery store? It positions itself as a specialty, premium grocer, emphasizing curated fresh produce, high-quality meat and seafood, signature baked goods, and a large selection of organic and international products — a positioning reinforced by its recent recognition as USA Today's Best Grocery Store and Newsweek's top Specialty/Natural/Ethnic Grocer.

Sources & References

The Fresh Market Press Room, official company news archive
The Shelby Report, "The Fresh Market To Open 7 New Stores"
BusinessWire, "The Fresh Market Cuts Ribbon on Newest Store in South Miami"
FreshPlaza, "The Fresh Market debuted its first new store of 2026"
NewsBreak (via USA Today), "USA Today names Fresh Market Best Grocery Store, produce champ"

The Fresh Market in 2026: Inside a $600 Million Expansion Bet on Premium Grocery