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RETAIL PROFILE
Fresh Farms International Market
Neighborhood establishment brings the world
to customers’ tables.
FBy Jodean Robbins
resh Farms International Market began in 1980 at its Devon Avenue location in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighbor- hood. Initially named North Water Market, the store’s success was built on
the ability to identify and cater to the specific needs of its community. As a result, Fresh Farms now operates four stores throughout Chicagoland’s diverse neighborhoods and offers unique, culturally specific products to reflect each community’s needs.
The stores vary in size, with the smallest being the original 10,000-square-foot Devon Avenue location, to the largest at 60,000 square feet. “We’ve become a staple in our communities by listening to our customers,” says Dino Svigos, owner. “We have managed to survive and thrive for the 40 years we’ve been in business because we sell what our customers want.”
THE BEST NATURE HAS
Fresh fruits and vegetables make Fresh Farms a destination. Produce focus is so important that all store receipts state The Best Nature Has To Offer at the bottom. “Produce is our bread and butter,” says Svigos. “People know we have variety, freshness and value.”
Produce represents a significant amount of space and a healthy chunk of store sales. At the smaller Devon store, the 7,000-square-foot department (occupying 70 percent of store space) contributes about 60 percent of sales. The other stores average around 40 percent of space and 40 percent of sales.
In bringing the world to these neigh- borhoods, Fresh Farms offers hundreds of produce items daily in its signature depart- ment. “We have about 300 to 400 items in produce at any given time,” says Svigos. “There aren’t many produce items available that we don’t bring into the store.”
The stores’ produce departments are merchandised to give shoppers a farm-fresh feel. Displays are built open and abundant with product. Large island displays with bold,
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bright signage allow shoppers easy access to the colorful selection of produce. “We have the ability to really showcase a lot of different produce items,” says Svigos. “We enjoy showing off the great products we sell. We love to build enormous eye-catching displays outside weather permitting.”
RELYING ON PARTNERS
In addition to effective merchandising, the store is also set up to source the best of nature at the time. “We take great care to ensure the freshest produce is delivered at the best price around,” says Svigos.
The store relies heavily on local whole- salers. “I support the Chicago Produce Market completely,” says Svigos. “The whole- salers there work really closely with you, and together we all achieve more. We must support the Market. It is crucial to having a reliable, quality supply for retail in our area.”
To ensure store individuality, each one of Fresh Farms’ stores has a separate buyer. “The buyers work together to get volume discounts but each buyer caters to the needs of his/her store,” says Svigos. “The buyers will coordinate needs, and the buyer with the biggest volume of a particular item will buy that product then give it to the other stores. For example, okra on Devon is important, so the Devon buyer
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FRESH FARMS
buys the okra and sends what is needed to the other stores.”
During the summer, Svigos reports the stores do purchase some product locally direct from growers. “It makes sense because they’re here in our backyard.” pb
FRESH FARMS 2626 W Devon Ave Chicago, IL 60659 773-764-3557 Hours
7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily
8203 W. Golf Rd. Niles, IL 60714 224-470-2060 Hours
8 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily
20 S Milwaukee Ave Wheeling, IL 60090 847-484-1930 Hours
7 a.m. – 10 a.m. daily
5740 W Touhy Ave Niles, IL 60714 847-779-7343 Hours
7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily
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