For shoppers, more choice in store

As customers entered the new Fresco y Más market in Hollywood, a four-piece band launched into a cover of Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida.” The tune carried throughout the store, from the wall of Café La Rica in the front to the in the back.

The scene could have unfolded in a shop along Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana, and that was exactly the mood and feel that Fresco y Más sought to achieve.

On Wednesday, the Hispanic supermarket chain opened its first Broward County store at 6775 Taft St. in Hollywood. The new market is part of a seven-store expansion across South Florida, coinciding with the company’s first anniversary.

Ian McLeod, CEO of Southeastern Grocers, parent of Fresco y Más, said the chain decided to expand into Broward after the early success of its Miami-Dade County locations. While he understood the complex demography of the area — Winn-Dixie, another of Southeastern’s supermarket brands, operates about 40 stores in Broward alone — he carefully picked a location with a strong Hispanic presence.

“The quality of the products, the authenticity of the products, and also the value of those products are things that really matter,” he said. “It’s all working well to deliver something that customers are very happy with.”

The Broward location features a handful of enhancements not found in older stores. In addition to a full-service Latin butcher shop, Fresco y Más operates an in-store cafeteria that cooks family-style meals from scratch.

A former employee at the chain’s first store in Hialeah, store manager Javier Zelaya echoed McLeod’s sentiment. Coupled with an emphasis on customer service, he believes the market’s authentic touches help it compete with other, more established names such as Sedano’s and Presidente.

Customers appear to agree. Zoe Maisonet said she first heard about Fresco y Más when her father told her of the Broward store’s grand opening. She was impressed by the grocer, enjoying everything from the friendly staff and low prices to the vast product assortment.

“It’s amazing,” Maisonet said. “You can find [what you want] here. You can’t find it at a regular grocery store.”

JOE CAVARETTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Lizbet Garcia checks out the produce at the Fresco y Más grand opening Wednesday at 6775 Taft St. in Hollywood. The supermarket caters to a Hispanic clientele, with a full-service Latin butcher shop and a cafeteria serving family-style meals. The...

PHOTOS BY JOE CAVARETTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Juan Carlos Puerta of Hollywood leaves with a full cart during the opening of the new Fresco y Mas in Hollywood.

The Hispanic supermarket chain’s first Broward County store, at 6775 Taft St. in Hollywood, is part of a seven-store expansion across South Florida.