The Fresh Market Opens 1st Spirits & Wine Store
The Fresh Market announced the opening of its first-ever Spirits & Wine store. The premium grocer officially opened the doors of its new store Friday, March 7 and is excited to bring the same exceptional shopping experience to its new adult beverages concept.
The new Spirits & Wine store is located adjacent to The Fresh Market’s Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., grocery store location and features a wide selection of premium spirits, wines and craft beer, plus assorted mixers, snacks, glassware, and wine by the glass. Guests can expect more than 7,000 square feet of retail space dedicated to a carefully curated range of spirits including bourbon, whiskies, rums and vodkas, alongside a comprehensive wine selection ranging from European to domestic offerings, craft beers, and chilled beverage coolers.
“The opening of our Spirits & Wine store is an incredible opportunity to expand on our popular beverage program,” said The Fresh Market CEO, Brian Johnson. “Our guests already trust us to provide the highest quality ingredients and finest flavors from around the world. Now, with our Spirits & Wine store, they can enjoy the same impeccable hospitality paired with our new, top-shelf beverage offerings to help make their shopping experience extraordinary.”
Voted #1 in three categories by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2024—”Best Grocery Store Bakery”, “Best Grocery Store Deli” and “Best Grocery Store Prepared Foods”—and recognized for three years in a row as the “Best Grocery Store in America”, and as a top 5 most trusted grocery retail brand for specialty and natural/organic foods in the 2022 BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, The Fresh Market helps guests discover the best with time-saving meal solutions, unique ingredients, and delicious food for any occasion.
From fresh produce and exceptional meat and seafood to signature baked goods and thousands of organic options, the specialty grocer has something to please every palate. The Fresh Market currently operates more than 165 grocery stores in 22 states across the U.S. and one Spirits & Wine store, inspiring guests to discover new flavors and cook with confidence. For more information, please visit www.thefreshmarket.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and Pinterest.
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BJ’s Wholesale Club to Open Up to 30 Clubs in 2 Years
BJ’s Wholesale Club plans to open 25-30 clubs over the next two fiscal years, including several clubs set for the Dallas-Fort Worth area starting in early 2026.
BJ’s Wholesale Club is a membership-based retailer that has been delivering unbeatable value and convenience to smart-saving families for over 40 years. BJ’s offers a large assortment of fresh produce, bakery goods, meat and dairy items as well as household essentials, consumer electronics, toys and apparel – a true one-stop shop. Many members do their weekly grocery shopping at BJ’s, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices every day and save even more by filling up at BJ’s Gas.
“We are eager to continue our expansion by bringing unbeatable value, convenience and assortment to the Dallas-Fort Worth community,” said Bob Eddy, Chairman and CEO, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “Economic expansion and a growing population make Texas a great fit for us. We believe our unique club model, which delivers savings of up to 25% off grocery store prices every day, will resonate with the families in this area. We look forward to living our purpose of ‘taking care of the families who depend on us’ in Texas.”
BJ’s has a longstanding commitment to the communities where its members and team members live and work. Established in 2004, the BJ’s Charitable Foundation provides essential needs to families through local and national non-profit partnerships. The Foundation focuses its giving efforts on three main pillars: hunger relief, education and health and wellness.
BJ’s is proud to partner with Feeding America and its network of food banks to help end hunger in the communities where it operates. For over 15 years, the partnership has provided more than 125 million meals for those in need. Once open, each new club in Texas will support a local food bank with weekly donations of produce, meat and dairy products.
BJ’s also announced several new locations set to open in 2025, including:
- Delray Beach, Fla.
- Warner Robins, Ga.
- Sevierville, Tenn.
- Casselberry, Fla,
The location in Delray Beach will be a BJ’s market – the second of the company’s concept clubs. BJ’s market provides a convenient, expedited grocery shopping experience that will feature top-selling fresh foods, produce, sundries and seasonal products for members, with all the value and convenience that BJ’s members have come to know and love from the club.
“Our newest BJ’s market will deliver an innovative approach to grocery shopping to the Delray Beach community,” said Bill Werner, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Development, BJ’s Wholesale Club. “Members will be able to get unbeatable value on fresh food and weekly grocery needs in a quick and efficient shopping experience.”
The company’s plans for 25-30 clubs include previously announced club openings in early fiscal 2025:
- Brooksville, Fla. (opened February)
- Myrtle Beach, S.C. (opened February)
- Southern Pines, N. C. (opening March 7)
- Whippany, N.J.
- Staten Island, N.Y.
BJ’s offers members several time-saving options whether online or in-club. Curbside pick-up, in-club pickup, same-day delivery and standard delivery are available on BJs.com, while members shopping in-club can use ExpressPay through the mobile app to scan products as they shop and skip the checkout line.
Each new club location is expected to create between 100-150 jobs in its community. Team member development and training are a central focus. Those interested in becoming a team member can visit BJs.com/careers for information on available opportunities.
Bell Flavors & Fragrances Appoints Lee Brooks as COO
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has appointed Lee Brooks as chief operating officer at the company’s global headquarters in Northbrook, Ill.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce Lee Brooks’ appointment to chief operating officer of Bell Flavors & Fragrances. This well-deserved promotion is a testament to Lee’s unwavering dedication, exceptional work ethic, and inclusive cross-functional and operational leadership,” said Ron Stark, president & CEO.
“Since joining our team, Lee has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive operational excellence, while taking on more responsibilities and fostering a culture of teamwork focused on safety and continuous improvement. Lee leads by example with thorough execution and follow-through, and he demonstrates a personal commitment to each direct report, his team and our company’s success. He has been instrumental in increasing our growth and laying the strategic groundwork for even greater growth for our company in the future.”
Brooks will oversee Bell’s global operations, driving excellence in service, efficiency and innovation while ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic objectives.
Previously serving as vice president of global flavor & fragrance operations, he brings extensive leadership experience in optimizing operational systems, enhancing regulatory and quality compliance, and fostering a culture of growth, safety, sustainability, and employee engagement across Bell’s worldwide locations.
Brooks joined Bell Flavors & Fragrances in January 2020 as the vice president of fragrance operations in Middletown, N.Y., and was then promoted to his previous role in September 2020, based in Northbrook. Since 2020, Brooks has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s operations and quality systems through a global enterprise resource planning implementation and strategic alignment across Bell’s international operations.
With over 25 years of experience in the flavor industry, Brooks is a seasoned leader dedicated to operational excellence. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, he is an active member of the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as director at large.
“I am truly honored and grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work alongside the talented and dedicated teams at Bell. Together, we will refine our processes, embrace innovation and leverage our automated, global infrastructure to streamline operations and deliver exceptional service to customers worldwide,” Brooks said.
“Let’s build on Bell’s success and achieve even greater accomplishments ahead.”
“Please join us in congratulating Lee on this significant achievement. We are confident that under Lee’s leadership, his expanded cross-functional teams will continue to thrive and reach new heights,” Stark said.
For more on Bell Flavors & Fragrances, visit www.bellff.com or follow Bell Flavors & Fragrances on LinkedIn, X and Facebook..
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