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The Fresh Market, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, recently won a coveted supermarket award — and its CEO revealed to Fox News Digital exactly why he thinks the company won.
The store won first place in the Best Grocery Store category in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
The store also won first place in the Best Product, Best Deli, Best Prepared Foods and Best Bakery subcategories.
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Brian Johnson, president and CEO of The Fresh Market, shared his excitement about the award, but also said it was not based on just one factor, but several.
“I really fell in love with the brand from day one,” he said. “It’s very easy to come to work every day. We have a great team here.”
The quality and freshness of its products, as well as the in-store experience, are points of pride for the chain, the company’s CEO said. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union)
He has been CEO for a little over six years. The supermarket chain has more than 170 locations in 22 states.
Founded by Ray and Beverly Berry in 1982, The Fresh Market was inspired by European food markets and was designed to provide a “more intimate and personalized shopping experience,” the store’s website states.
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There is an emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients and prepared foods, as well as a strong sense of hospitality, the organization said.
“When you purchase a fresh product from us, you can rest assured that our team has selected only the best produce, the freshest produce, the freshest cut meat,” Johnson said. “We cut fresh meat in our store every day.”
The Fresh Market won first place for Best Grocery Store in the recent USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. (iStock)
He said “each store has several butchers on staff, and so when you buy meat from one of our stores, you’re getting the freshest meat available.”
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Johnson also touted the ready-to-eat meals available at Fresh Market. “Our mission is to make the everyday dining experience both extraordinary and easy.”
“Not a single spoiled thing in sight,” one customer wrote.
One customer noted “the variety of vegetables ‘available for sale’ in your steamer bags. Already prepared, so easy and a wonderful variety. The production area is always organized, neat, tidy and there is not a spoiled thing in sight,” according to the company’s website.
Another customer yelled about the Peppercorn Steak Market meal kit the store offers.
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Over the past year, five stores have been added to The Fresh Market’s fleet, with plans for increased growth in the future, Johnson said.
Other grocery stores that earned a spot on the USA Today 10Best rankings include Publix, Kroger and ALDI.
A Fresh Market grocery store is featured in the Edens Plaza shopping center in Wilmette, Illinois. (iStock)
Customers said they liked ALDI’s affordability, while Publix was cited for its cleanliness and friendly staff.
Shoppers said they like Kroger for its convenience and wide selection of products.
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Johnson thanked store customers who voted for The Fresh Market.
“We really don’t take it for granted, and we really appreciate it…We feel very close to our guests,” he said. “It’s a bit like a family.”
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