Another grocery store coming ( old a&p)
https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/morris/business/shopwell-grocery-store-replacing-shuttered-ap-supermarket-in-morris-county/829695/
Top of the hill
Bug3Never heard of Shopwell, so I googled and found this:
https://www.newjerseyhills.com/mt_olive_chronicle/news/update-shopwell-in-budd-lake-better-hold-that-thought/article_bf12a658-722d-5155-b34a-4858ba313498.html
Courtney1 Apparently there is one of these highland markets by shopwell in west milford where their old a&p was and is open if anyone wants to check it out.
Scott I found this tweet, The owner had another store and is closing it and opening one in the old A&P:
https://twitter.com/marketreport_nj/status/1514954963440525312?s=20&t=BkzVJwOnwl33jNLm6PAumQ
Whip Oh Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It's not a Trader Joes.
Oh the horror.
dodgebaal That accompanying article, https://independent.marketreportblog.com/2022/01/update-highlands-market-by-shopwell.html, would seem that in the best of times it wouldn't be competition for Shoprite or Weiss.
OnTheEdge Project is moving full speed ahead. Village Bar & Liquors is closing 10/2022. The mall owner doesn't want a bar operating on the property and the Village Liquor license is being purchased by Shopwell.
John 
Elisa Rumor is that it won't be "Shop Well", it will be "Super Fresh" which was a brand that the old A&P used to operate under. Are the two related? Beats me. Who and whatever they are, that strip mall needs an anchor store or it's going down. Anyone remember the Potbelly Pancake House,The International Buffet, the ice cream place or the bagel shop? All gone.
John John - I remember The International Buffet ---- had many lunches there. It was awesome how included in the buffet was the made to order sushi station in the back.
I noticed a new sign above the old A&P...."ShopFresh". It's not open yet and Village Bar & Liquors is closed. There's very little info about ShopFresh on the internet. It could be an upscale supermarket or a bargain-basement outfit. Anyone remember when there was the "Shop-n-Bag" in the shopping center at the bottom of the hill, where the big medical facility is now? There was Holy Wong, C'Mere Cupcake, Pietro's, Blockbuster, a liquor store, a dry cleaner........All gone.
Billy2 There was never a “shop-n-bag” in that location. There was a A&P and later a FoodBasics .
FaQ 
kacey Odd. On the realtor site for this property, it states the new ShopFresh Market will have a hardware store inside. I can't say I have ever seen that before. Could be a typo though.
"ABOUT THE PROPERTY
Anchored by Brand New ShopFresh Market with new Do It Best Hardware store inside".
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/7-Naughright-Rd-Mount-Olive-NJ/26815851/
Greg Greg
Apparently that's a Co-op hardware business. There's one in Califon and Denville. Here's a link to their company:
https://www.doitbestonline.com/
Phil D. Very strange. ShopFresh has no internet presence at all. No web site, no Facebook or any ads. I can only assume this is a stand alone store
Local Gal Phil- I had looked at their website earlier too. I was intrigued to see it was a Co-op. Interesting approach to join in with the supermarket. Combing certain brick and mortar stores may be a good way for them to increase their success.
Greg
My thoughts too. When I was a manager for R&S Strauss, we had two stores that operated within the Valley Fair Shopping Centers in Livingston and in Little Ferry. They were essentially a bunch of smaller businesses that leased space from the main store and we all provided different sections of products.
There was one company that had a hardware dept. in there and another with toys, etc. It seemed to be a decent business model which worked for all involved. The only odd thing was that the clothing dept. was closed on Sundays in the Little Ferry store due to Bergen County's anachronistic "Blue Laws", which always caused a lot of confusion to customers.
Any updates on when this store is opening? Pretty disgusted with the poor quality vegetables at Shoprite.
On Feb 8th they posted they'd be opening in about 2 weeks on their FB page. So hopefully only another week if they're still on target. They just posted yesterday that they're doing on the spot interviews this Saturday so it appears they're close to opening.
Jrsemom Scheduled to open tomorrow (March 3rd), according to the sign on the highway (46W). Nearly a year since it was first announced. Hope it's decent.
MT My boyfriend just got a job there. He was there helping to stock shelves and organize. They have an amazing halal Chinese buffet and seafood. it’s not going to be a perfect grand opening but it should be a decent store once the kinks are ironed out
H-town Mama Opening today at noon as per their FB page. They have a sales circular posted on their page as well.
https://www.facebook.com/ShopFreshMarketplace
Calico696 Things don't look to be going so well for ShopFresh. I've been in there a bunch of times and there are never any other customers. The seafood section never opened. They have 3+ aisles devoted to hardware under a "Do It Best" moniker. Strange as Lowes and Home Depot are 8 minutes away. This location needed a focused supermarket and so far it is an unfocused, under-stocked empty store. They are connected to a liquor store that has more traffic than the supermarket itself. It's really odd as ShopRite Netcong is no prize but they have a lot of customers. That parking lot is a disaster and pulling out onto Route 46 is a mess. ShopFresh has a better location but they seem to have tried to be all things to all people and it's not working.
John I've seen the prices on their facebook page and that's probably why they can't compete with ShopRite especially these days with inflation . I like the Netcong ShopRite even though they don't have some items their bigger stores carry there is a surprising amount in that small store and it's never so crowded that you can't get through it quickly .
97XBAM Problem is they should not have taken out part of the old A&P to put the gym in as that should have stood part of the current Shop Fresh. Was a stupid move to subdivide that building. If a known quantity like a Stop and Shop or Acme, not currently in the area, came in, it would have been a better fit. This store will not last long and hopefully will be replaced by a known supermarket that can compete with the other food stores in the area.
I was waiting for someone to bring this up. Yeah the clock is ticking for them. The seafood section smelled foul on opening weekend, the produce is always wilted, the milk is a few days from expiration, etc. We were there day 1 and several times since...for a few things only. Only getting worse.
Honestly when it was announced that that particular grocer was coming in, after a quick google search and some reading, I knew before they even started the renovations it would not hit the mark by far. A friend lives close to it and gave it 2-3 chances. A big thumbs down all the way from him.
Nothing to do with the topic , but from being lactose intolerant I started buying lactose free 2% milk that is good for like two months before it's expiration date .Tastes like milk to me for cereal and french toast and you don't have to worry about it turning sour soon after buying . The lactose free skim milk tasted weird and switching to 2% cured that .
I was looking forward to having this store as a third option to Shoprite and Weis.
There are several things about this store I do not like, and in my opinion one of their downfalls is not mailing their weekly flyers. When in the store, I asked at the courtesy desk about this, and was told I can pick up a flyer once inside the store.
Really?
People want to know in advance what the weekly prices are and what’s on sale. I for one don’t want to waste time searching for the flyer online - not to mention the inconvenience of reading it in that format.
I've given it three tries, the last one was 2 days ago. There is a funky sour milk smell that pervades the lobby/cart area when you enter.
Very poorly stocked food shelves this last time but lots of hardware items.
What really struck me was the meat; it was old, the beef had turned from red to brown and the chicken had a sheen to it. Milk was dated 2 days from then. I seemed to be the only customer in the store at the time and I left without making a purchase.
I'm very disappointed as I was also looking for an alternative to the usual food stores. I'm so sorry to say that I don't think they will be in business for long.
Pamela I very much want this supermarket to succeed but the items I stop in for are either out of stock or look inedible. At some point I will learn to give up hope completely.
As was intimated in an earlier post the track record is not stellar, unfortunately.
I’d settle for an Aldi or Lidl.
Joe1982b3 
Luca2 
kelleo22 
Nature's Food Markets opening this Friday, May 3rd. Old A&P location on Naughright/46:location. Photo attached of flyer.
Just put a regular supermarket there (Stew Leonard's, Acme, Stop & Shop). Doubt this store lasts a year there.
Went yesterday, this store has a real chance at sticking around imo.
The contrast between it, and the store that preceded it, should be obvious. NFM is well lit, well stocked, and has a healthier and more diverse product line. The previous store was dark and dungeon like, it was nondescript and unappealing overall.
This is the NJ version of the 'A Matter of Health" stores located in NY, so they have been around for a bit. To me, this store is a cross between Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Wegmans. The prices are reasonable, and they are closest to us, as compared to the three stores I just mentioned.
I'm still a Shop Rite first shopper, but for the exclusive items that you can only find at those other stores, I'll be taking a short ride up the hill to NFM. I wish them the best and hope they stick around, this is a good store.
only one truth Thanks for the review, only one truth, sounds good will definitely check it out. If the other 3 stores you mentioned were closer, I'd go to them quite often.
I'll also put a vote in for Fresh Market in Bedminster. It's not large, but has alot of really unique stuff. Not cheap either, so I know everyone on HL will complain about it LOL
JeffersonRepub Just got back for the store. They have lots of organic foods and a things you can’t get at ShopRite or Wise. The store is very nice.
Just got back from this store. I liked it! Produce looked great & I love having more organic options than Shop Rite!
I’ll let the wife know (she does all the shopping) but she is quite frugal so I’ll report back on pricing vs our regular options
If you are looking at strictly cost, stay at Shop Rite. If you are looking for organic options & a different variety of items & don't mind if the items cost a little more than Shop Rite, then don't bother going here.
As far as price, it depends on the item. NFM had many things on sale. I got several grocery items that were lower priced than Shoprite or Walmart. And some things in the produce dept. were the same, or lower priced than shoprite - and they are organic!
Lastly, I dislike the gimmick that Shoprite has when they say you must buy 2 or 3 of something to get a sale price. Believe it or not, the Gimme roasted seaweed snacks that Shoprite is making us buy 3 of, costs LESS at NFM — and you don’t have to buy 3.
Not to mention all the wonderful products this store has, just really unbelievable.
Looks like no one here has heard of introductory pricing. That is what you get at a newly opened grocery store. Wait a few weeks until the store has been open and the real prices show up that are necessary to keep the doors open and pay expenses.
You can sure tell who the shoprite employees are.
Be sure to sign up for the Loyalty Program which gives you $10 off rewards!
You can see the sale flyer on their Facebook page.
"You can sure tell who the shoprite employees are".
Huh? I'm not a Shop Rite employee, I merely alluded that for common weekly items I still prefer SR, but I also added that NFM was the place to go for the items you won't find at SR, in addition to giving them a very positive review.
I also disagree with Luke regarding "introductory pricing". Yes, that is a common practice for new establishments, but it's also become a standard practice to 'always' have weekly sale items on a rotational basis. What was on sale last week might be regular price this week, but there will be another item that will be on sale this week to supplant it.
Bottom line for me is that this is a store that merits a visit at least a couple of times a month.
I am so happy! I absolutely love this store! It’s welcoming and nicely laid out. Staff was very friendly and helpful. It’s nice to finally have the variety of food that you can’t find in other stores around here. I’ve always hoped we could get a Whole Foods, but I think this is nicer actually.
I can see that I would still need Target for basics and family sized items, but I could definitely switch to Nature’s Food Markets for everything else. I especially like the wide variety of gourmet, organic, ultra-healthy and ethnic foods.
I enjoyed shopping yesterday when it was quiet but I am sure that will soon change. I am so tired of trying to get through Shoprite which is incredibly busy even on off hours and I am always irritated by ShopRite’s traffic flow, which has never made sense to me.
I’m thrilled and wish NFM the best of luck!
By the way, I am not an employee of NFM, nor do I have a vested interest in the business. I am just a local resident who likes to see a business like this to succeed in our community.
Res2 only one truth - I was not referring to you!
Meanwhile, I have discovered that Nature’s Food Market is a member of INFRA - Independent Natural Food Retailers Association - a co-op that has over 600 food stores throughout the United States!
https://www.naturalfoodretailers.com/infra-retailer-directory
Their statement on Facebook:
“As part of the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, we’re able to provide you with savings on the food you love as well as collaborate to achieve important goals of increasing sustainability and addressing climate change.”
https://www.naturalfoodretailers.com
@happiest girl
OK, I'm sure you can understand why I might have thought that you were referring to me.
Regardless, the info you provided should assure the community that their pricing, current and future, will remain reasonable, which is great news. I think we finally have a keeper here; I really hope they get the support that will ensure their success.
Informative article.
https://www.marketreportblog.com/2024/05/special-report-natures-food-markets.html
We went this weekend. I really hope the area "takes" to this store, because it is a very nice alternative to Shoprite/Weis, with many different brands and options... especially organic as mentioned in the reviews HG just posted. I hesitate to give a review because while we were there the power went out, so we had to cut our trip short. But we WILL be going back, and I may even make it one of my regular weekly stops on food shopping day.
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