Asian grocery to open store in North Point Breeze
A grocery chain with an international flavor will open its first Pittsburgh store in the former Lexington Technology Park in North Point Breeze, a move the developer believes will add to the allure of the East End.
Fresh International Market will take about 23,000 square feet of space in what is known as the Apollo building, at 7511 Thomas Blvd., within the complex now known as Rockwell Park.
The grocery had been in the running two years ago to take over the former Shop ‘n Save store on Centre Avenue in the Hill District before losing out to Salem’s Market and Grill.
In the aftermath, the owners of Rockwell Park reached out to Fresh International Market to see if it would be interested in the complex, which includes 800,000 square feet of Class office and flexible and advanced manufacturing space as well as restaurants and other retail.
“They came out and visited and they were blown away by the development and really excited to do the deal,” said Al Lardo, a Rockwell Park principal.
Mr. Lardo believes that Fresh International Market can do for the park and the North Point Breeze neighborhood what Whole Foods Market did for East Liberty when it moved in about two decades ago.
“People from all over Pittsburgh are going to visit this store,” he said. “We feel that this will be a draw.”
He also sees the market and the overall development as a natural extension of the booming East End corridor, which started with the Eastside development that included Whole Foods and was followed by Target and Bakery Square.
“We’re kind of the next eastern progression of that momentum,” Mr. Lardo said.
Fresh International Market got its start in 2012 in Lansing, Mich. It bills itself on its website as an “authentic Asian grocery for the most passionate food explorer.”
Although the store has Asian roots, founder Bowen Kou has said that the chain is branching out to carry foods from around the world.
As a full-service grocery, its offerings include fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and seafood, dairy products, frozen and prepared foods, bakery items, and health and beauty products.
Mr. Lardo believes the store’s offerings not only will appeal to tenants at Rockwell Park but to residents in the North Point Breeze neighborhood and beyond.
“It will serve the neighborhood and be an important beacon ... for Rockwell Park,” he said.
The market is expected to open by the second quarter of 2024. It now operates stores at six locations, including East Lansing; Champaign, Ill.; and St. Louis.
It also is planning groceries in Raleigh, N.C., and Austin, Texas.
Fresh International Market would be the latest addition to Rockwell Park, a mixed use development which includes eight buildings spanning Thomas Boulevard, Penn Avenue and North Lexington Street.
The 22- acre site now houses 120 tenants, the largest being 3M, which occupies about 55,000 square feet of space.
Other tenants include Carnegie Mellon University, BirdBrain Technologies, the University of Pittsburgh, Ellsworth Equities, and the East End Food Coop, according to its website.
Mr. Lardo said the co-op plans to stay for now, adding that he views the addition of Fresh International Market as “complementary rather than competitive.”
“The benefits of getting more bodies to Rockwell Park is going to raise the boats of both,” he predicted, adding that the food co-op is important to the neighborhood.
While Rockwell Park is viewed primarily as an office development, Mr. Lardo said the owners are making an effort to blend in the right food and beverage operators. Commonplace Coffee recently moved into the development.