The Fresh Market is not only likely getting help from the Guilford County taxpayers, but also from the Greensboro taxpayers who are Guilford County taxpayers as well.
The Greensboro City Council is holding a special-called joint meeting with the High Point City Council on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the Guilford Technical Community College Center for Advanced Manufacturing, 6012 Gate City Blvd.
At that meeting, the Greensboro City Council plans to consider an incentive not to exceed $301,000 based on the Fresh Market creating 53 new jobs and retaining 248 jobs with an average wage of $86,000 and a capital investment by the Fresh Market of about $2 million.
The meeting announcement states that the joint meeting with the High Point City Council is “for the purpose of a joint Economic Development Public Hearing.” After the public hearing the City Council usually votes on awarding the economic development incentive.
The meeting is not listed on the High Point City Council calendar.
But since the purpose of the Greensboro City Council meeting is to consider an economic development incentive of up to $301,000, it appears the purpose of the High Point City Council meeting would also be for an economic development incentive. It seems odd that High Point would consider awarding an economic development incentive to a company headquartered in Greensboro, but elected officials tend to be tight lipped about economic development incentives until the public hearing.
Fresh Market is a homegrown company that was founded in 1982 by Ray Berry with one store at the intersection of Pisgah Church Road and Lawndale Drive. That store has since moved a few hundred yards north of the original location. In the past 37 years, Fresh Market has grown to a chain of 160 stores in 22 states. In 2010, the company held an initial public offering raising $290 million and the stock began trading on Nasdaq.
In 2016, Apollo Global Management LLC acquired the stock and Fresh Market is now a privately held company with over 13,000 employees, headquartered at 628 Green Valley Road.
Why are the taxpayers money going to the fresh market when most taxpayers can’t afford to shop there this dose not make a lot sense to me a taxpayer. The fresh market dose a good business and there prices are high. This is a shame. I don’t know what you dumb people are doing with our taxpayers money. What a shame