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Earth Fare Expands to Cleveland & Columbus

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Started 1 year ago by News
Latest reply from NEOBuckeye

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News
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Earth Fare grocer opens Westgate Mall store as part of national expansion
Published: Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 8:00 PM
By Janet Cho, The Plain Dealer

FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- Earth Fare, a niche North Carolina grocer, on Wednesday opened the second of what it hopes will be several stores in Northeast Ohio. The privately owned, non-union supermarket opened its doors at Westgate Mall roughly seven months after it entered Ohio with its Fairlawn store on May 18. A store will open in Columbus next spring. The company has hired 350 workers, or about 115 per store.

READ MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/earth_fare_grocer_opens_westgate_mall_store_as_part_of_national_expansion.html

Posted 1 year ago #
patient_zero
Falafel District
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Any idea where their 1st Columbus store will be located? There are a few empty Big Bear locations around town, but those areas may not fit their demographic, or be profitable.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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It's opening in the Polaris area:

Construction on Earth Fare is underway at the Gemini Place Towne Center. Next to Earth Fare there will be a 3,232 sq. ft. space available for lease. Click on the contact button above to find out more information on our leasing opportunities.

MORE: http://www.polariscenters.com/About/Announcements/tabid/90/EntryId/9/Earth-Fare-construction-update.aspx

AND MORE: http://www.polariscenters.com/About/Announcements/tabid/90/EntryId/8/Earth-Fare-has-started-construction.aspx

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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Any reason why "privately owned, non-union" is mentioned? That supposed to be a selling point or something? Just padding out a word count?

Posted 1 year ago #
News
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First Look: Earth Fare organic grocer opening 1st area store at Polaris

Business First by Dan Eaton, Staff reporter
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Earth Fare Inc. was strictly a Southern chain a year ago, but with four Ohio stores and counting — including its first in Columbus — that’s changing. The Asheville, N.C.-based organic and natural grocer will open its 27,000-square-foot supermarket Wednesday at the Gemini Place Towne Center, north of the Polaris Fashion Place mall. The store has been in the works since last May.

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/04/first-look-earth-fare-organic-grocer.html

Posted 1 year ago #
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Photos: Earth Fare Columbus grand opening
Posted on May 7, 2012 by Breakfast with Nick

The good folks from Earth Fare Columbus invited me to their grand opening day last week Wednesday. I had never heard of Earth Fare before they contacted me, even though they have 26 stores total, 4 of which are in Ohio. The chain of health food markets (similar in style to Whole Foods), is based in North Carolina. This store is their first in Columbus, located up on Gemini Place in the Polaris area, right next to Costco.

READ MORE: http://breakfastwithnick.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/photos-earthfare-columbus-grand-opening/

Posted 1 year ago #
gramarye
In Exile
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As a resident of Akron, I've been going to the Fairlawn location, their first in Ohio, sporadically for a while. I have to admit, I actually wasn't overly impressed. In Fairlawn, anyway, the produce prices were higher even than other premium food stores such as local favorite West Point Market (which isn't a discount store by any stretch of the imagination). The meat and cheese selections in the deli were somewhat constrained.

The prepared food was pretty decent, as was the premium beer selection, but that is no longer as much of an exception to the norm as it used to be. Even humble local Acme has a pretty decent premium beer selection these days.

I'm not exactly fit to comment on the really niche health food products, since I don't comparison-shop for those.

Posted 1 year ago #
heresthecasey
Funkytown
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It's funny how a company which professes to be so earth-conscious and healthy-minded will invariably locate themselves in the most unsustainable, non-walkable, hellhole imaginable.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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heresthecasey said:
It's funny how a company which professes to be so earth-conscious and healthy-minded will invariably locate themselves in the most unsustainable, non-walkable, hellhole imaginable.

They're in Detroit?

Posted 1 year ago #
heresthecasey
Funkytown
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rus said:
They're in Detroit?

They might as well be

Posted 1 year ago #
NEOBuckeye
Ohio At-Large
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gramarye said:
As a resident of Akron, I've been going to the Fairlawn location, their first in Ohio, sporadically for a while. I have to admit, I actually wasn't overly impressed. In Fairlawn, anyway, the produce prices were higher even than other premium food stores such as local favorite West Point Market (which isn't a discount store by any stretch of the imagination). The meat and cheese selections in the deli were somewhat constrained.

The prepared food was pretty decent, as was the premium beer selection, but that is no longer as much of an exception to the norm as it used to be. Even humble local Acme has a pretty decent premium beer selection these days.

Acme has certainly come a long way with their beer selection and in many aspects, as noted during a recent visit. As for EarthFare, Seems to be a general strategy with stores that tout themselves as being healthy(er). They price produce and other products somewhat higher than what one would find at other chains, but because they are in a niche market and have developed an image of exclusivity, it justifies the higher price tags. Also works well for Whole Foods. It may be this very reason that EarthFare is setting up shop in places like Fairlawn/Montrose and Polaris as opposed to Chapel Hill (in Akron) or Hilliard-Rome. The demographics of the former areas are able to pay extra and believe according to the brand that they are getting it.

Posted 1 year ago #