The Fresh Market Coming to Bradlee Shopping Center

Specialty grocer The Fresh Market plans to open a store at the Bradlee Shopping Center in West End Alexandria in 2014.

Company spokeswoman Carly Dennis said the store plans to open at 3680 King St., the location of the Giant grocery store slated to close in June.

According to the company’s website, The Fresh Market aims to bring a “European-style market” to the United States. The company boasts that its stores feature the best cuts of meat, the freshest produce, fresh-roasted coffee beans and hard-to-find grocery items from around the globe.

“The Fresh Market provides a unique grocery shopping experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere, featuring high-quality perishables, distinctive foods and superior customer service,” Dennis said in an email. “Our stores have an old-world feel and are more intimate than a typical supermarket or big box store.”

Most of the company’s stores are between 18,000 and 23,000 square feet, Dennis said.

The store will be The Fresh Market’s 12th in Virginia. The company opened a store in Charlottesville earlier this year and has announced plans for stores in Lynchburg and Ashburn.

“We are excited about our continued expansion in the Mid-Atlantic, and in Northern Virginia in particular,” said Rob Koch, vice president of real estate for The Fresh Market, in a news release. “We look forward to building on the success of our other locations in the area, where we have enjoyed a strong and loyal customer base, and to providing customers in Alexandria with the same quality products and excellent customer service.”

The Fresh Market calls itself an “extraordinary food destination store.”

“From bountiful produce and a full-service meat counter to convenient prepared foods and an in-store bakery, customers will discover that our stores are committed to variety, freshness and value as well as superior customer service,” said Craig Carlock, the company’s president and CEO, in a news release.

The Fresh Market currently operates 131 stores in 25 states. For more information, visit www.thefreshmarket.com.