Earth Fare to Open Florida Store

Earth Fare and commercial real estate owner and developer Sleiman Enterprises have revealed that the natural food grocer will open a store in St. Johns, Florida, in the second quarter of 2021, marking its return to the area after the banner shuttered all of its locations last year. The 24,144-square-foot space will anchor the Shoppes of St. Johns Parkway in St. Johns County, described by Sleiman as “one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.”

This past March, in the wake of the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and the closure of all 55 of its stores in 10 states, Dennis Hulsing, president and CEO of Asheville, North Carolina-based hospitality and medical facility management company Hulsing Enterprises; original Earth Fare Co-Founder Randy Talley; and former Earth Fare President Mike Cianciarulu joined together to resurrect the brand by steadily opening Earth Fare locations in its established market area. The chain now operates 17 stores in the eastern and southeastern United States. 

“By welcoming Earth Fare back to St. Johns, we are providing the community with a healthy choice in the market for groceries, which we believe is desperately needed in more communities across the country,” said Toney Sleiman, principal at Jacksonville, Florida-based Sleiman. “Earth Fare promises to provide communities, sometimes underserved, with healthy foods and locally sourced items. It’s so important now to provide groceries and goods to sustain our communities and, ultimately, strengthen them.”

“This is a growing area and desirable location with great demographics, so we are excited to call St. Johns home again,” noted Talley, who is also the company’s chief sustainability officer and director of leasing. “This area wants a specialty healthy grocery store, and we are happy to deliver the community an organic and natural foods grocery store.”

“You will find many of the same trusted brands and house-made specialties back in our store, and we are adding some new ones,” said David Isinghood, Earth Fare’s COO. “Keeping our Food Philosophy and product standards at the forefront, we are expanding our craftsmanship and increasing our selection of organic produce and local offerings.”