New Seasons Market has announced plans to bring its unique neighborhood grocery shopping experience to the Puget Sound region. Its first area store, at the former Albertsons Town Center location on Mercer Island, will feature the company's signature fresh, local produce, organic artisan breads, sustainably sourced meats and seafood, deli selections and chef-prepared specialties alongside everyday classic brands. New Seasons will remodel the building at 2755 77th Ave. S.E. for its new store to open in fall 2016.

“We’ll be looking to partner with Mercer Island organizations working to end hunger, educate youth and protect the environment. We look forward to learning more about Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, its food pantry program and other deserving nonprofits”

New Seasons Market is an independent, mission-minded neighborhood grocer with 15 stores in the Portland-Vancouver metro area and a recently opened store in California’s Bay Area. Founded in 2000, New Seasons has attracted a loyal following of customers who care about their food, where it comes from and the people they share it with.

Eager to create a new neighborhood store that draws on its Portland success and also reflects the unique needs of the Mercer Island community, New Seasons will join in community events and talk to locals to learn about what they’d like to see in their new store. Plans are underway to host a casual social gathering in late summer to meet the community.

“As a progressive employer, New Seasons is dedicated to taking care of our customers and our staff. Environmental stewardship and sustainability are also at the heart of our mission. I believe our values and sense of community very much align with those of the Mercer Island residents and that’s why we chose to open our very first Seattle store here,” said President and CEO Wendy Collie, who spent nearly two decades in the Puget Sound area, including a year on Mercer Island, as an executive at Starbucks while raising two boys. “We look forward to making our Mercer Island store a welcoming, neighborhood gathering spot where people connect over delicious, quality food, get to know our wonderful staff and build community together.”

A champion of the local food economy, New Seasons is known for its strong relationships with regional growers and producers, and for offering thousands of regional products. More than one third of its store items are sourced from Oregon, Washington and Northern California. Partnerships with Washington producers include those with Conan’s Hot Sauces and Marinades, Inaba Produce Farms, Kelsey Family Farm, Linda Brand Crab, Loki Fish Company, Lummi Island Wild, Mama Nano’s, Murex Cuisine, My Local Honey, OlyKraut, Pure Country Pork, Starvation Alley Farm, Sugar & Salt Bakery, Sunnyslope Farm and Torque Coffee. As part of its mission to grow the regional food shed, the New Seasons team looks forward to partnering with more Washington vendors.

New Seasons will hire locally to fill the majority of the store’s approximately 150 positions, from floor staff and department managers to cooks, cashiers and wellness experts. Job openings will be posted online when recruiting efforts begin in the summer of 2016.

“We’ll be looking to partner with Mercer Island organizations working to end hunger, educate youth and protect the environment. We look forward to learning more about Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, its food pantry program and other deserving nonprofits,” Collie noted.