It’s no killer b’s

as grocer joins a rash of b-named retailers hoping to draw food-conscious customers in Fairfield.

(AP) — Everyone involved

Fairfield insists the attack of the “killer b’s” in Fairfield is one big coincidence.

Nonetheless, downtown’s b.good and Plan B Burger Bar have now been joined by bfresh, a grocery store that recently opened at 1262 Post Road.

Each “b-store” offers some variation of “real food,” promising customers good-tasting offerings made with natural ingredients whose origins can be traced.

At b.good, the website says the restaurant wants to “make fast-food ‘real’ by making it the way it should be ... by people, not factories.” Plan B says its beef is freshly ground in house, twice daily, and has no added antibiotics or hormones.

And bfresh, which offers prepared food as well as organics and grocery staples, says it’s “for foodies who have fresh, healthy food top of mind.”

Despite the similarities in name and mission, the businesses are not related, with b.good based in Boston with locations in Greenwich and throughout the Northeast, and Plan B based in Hartford with locations in Milford and Stamford, plus others south to Virginia.

The newest entrant is bfresh, which doesn’t share the home-grown origins of the other two. Operated by Fresh Formats, the company is owned by Netherlands-based Ahold, the retail giant that also owns Stop & Shop. With only one other location, in Boston, bfresh officials say there are no immediate plans for further expansion.

Though they share an owner, officials with bfresh insist it is a wholly separate company from Stop & Shop. The new 8,600-square-foot bfresh, which shares a building with Plan B, will nonetheless compete to some degree with the gigantic-by-comparison Super Stop & Shop less than a mile away at 1160 Kings Highway Cut-off.

There’s another Super Stop & Shop not far away at 760 Villa Ave. in Fairfield, plus others within a few minutes’ drive in Bridgeport and Westport.

“It’s a completely different format and offering,” said bfresh spokeswoman Suzi Robinson. “We have an exponentially higher percentage of organic and specialty products.”

The store also specializes in prepared foods, offering salads, pizza, sandwiches and more, all made from scratch on the premises.

But beyond the specialty and organic items, it’s also a grocery store featuring recognizable brands like Pop-Tarts and Cocoa Puffs.

“There are many people who like certain brands, and at the same time are looking for other specialty options, as well,” Robinson said. “We’re bringing that assortment in together.”

The trend of large-format stores branching into smaller, more urban-friendly variations is not limited to Ahold.

Target had opened a variety of CityTarget and TargetExpress stores, but is now branding the smaller-sized stores in cities simply Target. Walmart has also explored reduced-scale stores in dense neighborhoods, while Trader Joe’s and Aldi have thrived with floor plans far smaller than the typical suburban mega-grocery store.