Dive Brief:
- Fresh Thyme Farmers Market has opened in a former Sports Authority store in suburban Chicago.
- The market is the first for the new chain, which is run by Chris Sherrell, a former executive with Sunflower Farmers Market, which merged with Sprouts Farmers Market two years ago.
- Fresh Thyme has ambitious plans. The company wants to open 60 stores in the Midwest, and is scouting additional locations in Chicagoland.
Dive Insight:
This is a good time to be a healthy -- and at least moderately affluent -- food shopper in Chicago. The city has suddenly become a hot spot for fresh-oriented supermarkets. Fresh Thyme debuts just weeks after Whole Foods announced it had bought seven new locations in Chicago. If Fresh Thyme's expansion plans are successful, it looks like all of the Midwest, not just Chicago, will have yet another specialty grocery store for their shopping needs.