The Fresh Grocer US

Philadelphia-based retailer The Fresh Grocer will open five new fully-serviced supermarkets over the next five years offering a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, dairy and fresh prepared foods.

The supermarket operator has joined forces with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to increase access to healthy, affordable food in currently underserved Philadelphia-area communities, according to a report by Progressive Grocer.

The Fresh Grocer is set to open the first of the five new stores in October 2012 at the New Brunswick Wellness Plaza in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Another location in Washington is expected to open inlate 2013 or early 2014, a company spokeswoman told Progressive Grocer.

“By opening five new stores over the next five years in areas in and around food deserts, we will give close to 800,000 people throughout the Mid-Atlantic region access to fresh, healthy, affordable food,” explained Patrick J. Burns, president and CEO of The Fresh Grocer.

The Fresh Grocer currently operates seven stores in Philadelphia and Wilmington in Delaware.