Fresh Thyme

Last updated
Fresh Thyme Market
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail groceries
FoundedApril 2014;10 years ago (2014-04) in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, U.S.
FounderChris Sherrell
Headquarters
Downers Grove, Illinois
,
U.S.
Number of locations
70 [1]  (January 2024)
Areas served
Midwest
Key people
Liz Zolcak (CEO)
Website www.freshthyme.com

Fresh Thyme Market is a regional American organic food supermarket chain based in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Contents

In 2013, Fresh Thyme was ranked number 13 out of 43 on Forbes' America's Best Midsize Employers in the Retail and Wholesale Industry Category and 218 out of 500 overall on the Forbes' list. [2] The company was also the recipient of WholeFoods Magazine's Retailer of the Year award in 2022. [3] [4]

History

In April 2014, Fresh Thyme founder Chris Sherrell opened the first store in his chain in Mount Prospect, Illinois. [5] Two months later, Fresh Thyme open its first Indiana store in Indianapolis. [6] The opening of the first store in Ohio followed in July in Columbus. [7] By the end of 2014, the chain had nine stores in the Midwest. [8]

In April 2015, the first Michigan store was opened in East Lansing. [9] By August 2015, the company had 28 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, with stores planned for Minnesota and Missouri. [10] In September 2015, Fresh Thyme opened its first Minnesota store in Plymouth. [11] By November 2015, two stores were opened for the first time in Missouri. [12]

In February 2016, the first store in Nebraska was opened in Lincoln, which is also the 30th store in the chain. [13] This was followed a few weeks later by the opening of the first store in Iowa in West Des Moines. [14] This was followed in a few weeks with the first store in Kentucky by opening of a store in Louisville, which is also the 36th store of the chain. [15] In the following month, Fresh Thyme was able to enter Wisconsin by opening its first store in the state in Milwaukee. [16]

Fresh Thyme expanded east into Pennsylvania in June 2018 by opening two stores in the Pittsburgh area. [17] In 2019, the company closed under-performing stores in Dayton, Ohio; [18] Louisville, Kentucky; [19] Ames, Iowa; [20] Grand Island, Nebraska; [21] [22] and Omaha, Nebraska. [23] [24]

When founder and CEO Sherrell left the company in November 2019 and was replaced by Meijer executive Gerald Melville, the chain had expanded to 77 stores in 11 states. [25] In August 2020, Fresh Thyme streamlined their image by changing their name to "Fresh Thyme Market" by getting rid of the word "Farmers" and removing the tractor from their new logo. [26] [27]

In September 2020, Fresh Thyme announced that it was withdrawing from the state of Nebraska by closing its remaining three stores after closing two stores the previous year. The closures left the company with 70 stores in 10 states. [28]

Melville retired in July 2022 and was replaced internally by vice president Liz Zolcak. At the time of the change of leadership in 2022, the chain had 71 stores in 10 Midwestern states. [29] By January 2024, the official number stores dropped to 70 stores across 10 Midwestern states [1] after the closing of their first store in Mt. Prospect in August 2023. [30]

Relationship with Meijer

The produce department at a Fresh Thyme store in Greenwood, Indiana. Fresh Thyme - October 2023 - Sarah Stierch.jpg
The produce department at a Fresh Thyme store in Greenwood, Indiana.

According to news reports, Midwestern hypermarket chain Meijer is an investor in Fresh Thyme Market—with former Meijer executives serving on the Fresh Thyme board—but that there was no additional corporate connection. [31] [32] [33] [34] [8] [35] For a number of years, the company's chief executive officer was a former Meijer executive. In 2021, the organic food supermarket chain began to offer a "broad assortment of Meijer branded items". [36]

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References

  1. 1 2 Inklebarger, Timothy (January 26, 2024). "Fresh Thyme Market features local products via Naturally Chicago". Supermarket News.
  2. ↑ Plasterer, Jenna (February 17, 2023). "Fresh Thyme Market Named to Forbes' America's Best Midsize Employers List; Liz Zolcak Comments". Deli Market News.
  3. ↑ "Congratulations to Fresh Thyme Market 2022 Retailer of the Year". WholeFoods Magazine. September 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ Jaqua, Maggie (October 20, 2022). "Retailer of the Year: Fresh Thyme Market". WholeFoods Magazine.
  5. ↑ Ho, Sally (April 23, 2014). "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opens in Mount Prospect". Chicago Tribune .
  6. ↑ Ryckaert, Vic (June 15, 2014). "Southside shoppers pack Fresh Thyme's first Indiana store". Indianapolis Star .
  7. ↑ "Fresh Thyme's Sawmill store to open Aug. 13 offering natural foods, beauty products". The Columbus Dispatch . July 17, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Inside Fresh Thyme: A Whole Foods-Trader Joe's hybrid, seeded with Meijer money". Booth Newspapers . April 3, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Fresh Thyme opens in East Lansing". Lansing State Journal . April 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Schooley, Tim (August 18, 2015). "New hybrid grocer seeking chance to take root in Pittsburgh market". Pittsburgh Business Times .
  11. ↑ Hughlett, Mike (September 30, 2015). "Fresh Thyme brings new dynamic to Twin Cities grocery market Chicago's Fresh Thyme Farmers Market focuses on natural, organic food". Star Tribune .
  12. ↑ Riske, Heather (October 26, 2015). "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market to Open First Two Missouri Stores Next Week". Feast Magazine.
  13. ↑ Yowell, Paige; Soderlin, Barbara (February 6, 2016). "Retail briefs: Nebraska's first Fresh Thyme opens Wednesday in Lincoln". Omaha World-Herald .
  14. ↑ Johnson, Patt (March 22, 2016). "Fresh Thyme market opens store in West Des Moines". Des Moines Register .
  15. ↑ "Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets announces grand opening of Louisville Store". WHAS-TV . April 27, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Announces Grand Opening of Milwaukee Store". Urban Milwaukee . May 26, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Grocer Opening 2 Locations In Pittsburgh". KDKA-TV . May 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Sugarcreek Twp. Fresh Thyme store to shut down by end of July". WHIO-TV . July 10, 2019.
  19. ↑ Ladd, Sarah (August 8, 2019). "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market in St. Matthews is closing its doors". Courier Journal .
  20. ↑ Crumb, Michael (October 18, 2019). "Fresh Thyme to close". Ames Tribune .
  21. ↑ Bahr, Jeff (October 18, 2019). "Fresh Thyme head says some stores not as successful as others". The Grand Island Independent .
  22. ↑ "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market in Grand Island plans to close in November". KHGI . October 18, 2019.
  23. ↑ Moring, Roseann (October 22, 2019). "'Something isn't working': One of Omaha's three Fresh Thyme grocery locations to close". Omaha World-Herald .
  24. ↑ Dumont, Jessica (October 23, 2019). "Fresh Thyme to close three stores next month". Grocery Dive.
  25. ↑ Redman, Russell (November 1, 2019). "Fresh Thyme CEO Chris Sherrell departs: Meijer exec Gerald Melville joins fresh grocer as president". Supermarket News.
  26. ↑ Redman, Russell (August 28, 2020). "Fresh Thyme rebrands with new name and logo". Supermarket News.
  27. ↑ Acosta, Gina (August 26, 2020). "Fresh Thyme Has a New Name, Logo". Progressive Grocer.
  28. ↑ Wells, Jeff (September 28, 2020). "Fresh Thyme to close 3 remaining Nebraska stores". Grocery Dive.
  29. ↑ Redman, Russell (July 1, 2022). "Fresh Thyme Market promotes Liz Zolcak to president". Supermarket News.
  30. ↑ Mayer, Richard (August 4, 2023). "Thyme's Almost Up: Mount Prospect Grocer Closing At End Of Month". Journal & Topics.
  31. ↑ Martinez, Shandra (February 24, 2016). "Inside Fresh Thyme: CEO explains retailer's secret to low prices". MLive. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  32. ↑ Fisher, Mark (February 25, 2014). "Meijer confirms it's an investor in specialty grocer coming to Dayton". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  33. ↑ "Fresh Thyme brand is Meijer's quiet entry into high-end grocery market". Michigan Radio . October 28, 2016.
  34. ↑ Manes, Nick (October 16, 2016). "Fresh Thyme Farmers Market as Meijer skunkworks?". MiBiz .
  35. ↑ Riddle, Holly (March 28, 2022). "The Untold Truth Of Meijer". Mashed.com .
  36. ↑ Browne, Michael (July 6, 2021). "Fresh Thyme Market seeks out hyperlocal products for its upcoming concept store". Supermarket News.
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