Fresh Market stores are an average of 18,400 square feet as compared with the 40,000 square-food average for Whole Foods Market Inc., one of Fresh market's closest competitors. Fresh Market's warm lights, classical background music and terra cotta-colored tiles are designed to be cozier than a typical grocery store. The Berrys say that atmosphere is largely thanks to the 75 employees at the average store. None of the meat and few of the deli products are prepackaged, and each department has at least one employee in the area constantly to help shoppers. As a percentage of sales, labor costs are nearly double that of large-format stores, he says.
Stores have a minimum staffing level, and managers are discouraged from falling below it.
Ray Berry was 39 years old, overseeing 3,600 7-Eleven stores as vice president of Southland Corp. in 1980 when he quit amicably over a management disagreement he won't detail. After turning down several jobs, Mr. Berry, and his wife, Beverly, decided to invest everything into opening a grocery focused on quality and service. After selling their Dallas home, the couple packed two cars, two children and two dogs and traveled east to find the right town to launch their dream. Mr. Berry chose the Southeast for the high returns on investment for grocers and the abundance of small store spaces being vacated by supermarkets moving to larger formats. He chose Greensboro based on a stranger's recommendation and a good site for the first store.