Acme will replace Fresh Grocer in University City, Penn says

University City will be down a grocery store, but not for long. After Fresh Grocer closes its Walnut Street location next month, an Acme will fill its place.

The closure of Fresh Grocer, which was first reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian on Sunday, follows a nearly four-year legal battle with its landlord, the University of Pennsylvania.

It has long been rumored that an Acme would eventually fill the Fresh Grocer’s space. Penn spokesperson Jennifer Rizzi confirmed the rumor for the first time Wednesday afternoon.

“Acme is committed to developing and operating a first class urban grocery store,” Rizzi wrote in an email. “We look forward to the opening of the new supermarket later this year.”

Acme is still working on a timeline for renovations, and it does not yet have a target opening date.

The potential for a vacancy started in April 2016 when Penn said that Fresh Grocer did not renew its lease in “a timely fashion.” Penn asked Fresh Grocer to leave the site before its lease expired in March 2017.

Fresh Grocer countered by filing a lawsuit against Penn in December 2016, accusing the university of wrongfully terminating its lease. The suit failed, and now Fresh Grocer has until March 31 to move out.

“With the forthcoming closing of the Fresh Grocer’s 40th and Walnut Streets location, we remain committed to the community and look forward to providing a first-class supermarket experience and source of local employment via our other nearby Fresh Grocer locations,” Fresh Grocer spokesperson Karen O’Shea stated in an email Monday.

Fresh Grocer has five other locations in Philadelphia.