The Brighton branch of the bfresh grocery store chain will close Saturday, and its corporate parent will fold the remaining operations into its larger Stop & Shop business.
Two other bfresh stores in Somerville and Allston will remain open, and a new store in Newton will still open in 2018. A related venture in Rhode Island, Eastside Marketplace, will also remain open.
However, Stop & Shop spokesman Phil Tracey said the company will decide on a new brand and format for all of those stores at a later date.
Bfresh is a small store, urban grocery format owned by retail giant Ahold Delhaize, which also owns the Hannaford and Food Lion supermarket chains. It specializes in natural and organic items, from soba noodle salads to chipotle sweet potato soups.
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Stop & Shop president Mark McGowan said in a statement that the new small-store brand will be based on bfresh’s past experiences, “such as innovative technology, fresh prepared meals, a health focused assortment and exciting ways to engage customers digitally and online.”
Last year, a bfresh in Fairfield, Conn., closed just months after opening, with the company saying the location was “not suitable for the bfresh concept,” according to the Fairfield Daily Voice.
Natasha Mascarenhas can be reached at natasha.
mascarenhas@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @nmasc_.