The Fresh Market will close supermarkets in Fort Worth, Southlake

The Fresh Market, a specialty supermarket chain that opened stores in Southlake and Fort Worth last year, is pulling out of Texas.

The North Carolina-based grocer said Tuesday that it’s closing 13 stores, including eight in Texas plus locations in Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. There are two Fresh Market stores in Dallas and four in the Houston area.

The closures follow the company’s buyout by the Apollo Global Management private equity firm in March.

“The decision to close these stores is a difficult but necessary step with the end goal of producing a stronger, more agile company,” said Fresh Market’s President and CEO Rick Anicetti in a statement. “This shift also allows us to focus our energy and resources on the growth of our remaining stores, as well as new stores we have planned in the future. We continue to pursue our strategy of offering exceptional products, engaging shopping experiences, and great customer service across all our stores.”

All eligible employees at the affected stores have been offered the option to apply for a position at another location and will receive a separation package, the company said.

The Fresh Market tried to compete with a smaller footprint than some rivals and offered a wide selection of produce and meats, plus hard-to-find food brands.

But Dallas-Fort Worth has long been known as one of the most competitive grocery markets in the nation. The Fresh Market store in Southlake was located near Central Market and just up Southlake Boulevard from a new Trader Joe’s. The Fort Worth store was located in the WestBend development on University Drive.

According to its website, Fresh Market operates 168 stores in 27 states.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "The Fresh Market will close supermarkets in Fort Worth, Southlake."