My Fresh Basket wins industry award for innovation

My Fresh Basket, the Kendall Yards grocery store that opened in June, has been recognized by its industry peers for innovation.

The store received Progressive Grocer’s award for “outstanding new concept store” at the National Grocers Association Convention in Las Vegas in February.

The award is given to “the store that’s ahead of the industry,” said Dan Petek, a spokesman for My Fresh Basket.

Past winners have included Wegmans, a Rochester, New York-based chain with a national reputation, Petek said. Wegmans was a leader in adding buffets, sushi bars and pizzerias at its stores, with seating for 100 to 300 people to eat on-site.

At 28,000 square feet, My Fresh Basket is about half the size of a conventional grocery store, with an emphasis on fresh prepared entrees, local and organic products as well as grocery staples.

An outdoor patio has plug-ins for laptops and phones, and there’s additional seating on the store’s mezzanine level.

“Every element of this store has been deliberately planned to address emerging consumer preferences for local and organic products, convenience and lifestyle,” Matt Grittner, the store’s director, said in a news release.

Creating a grocery store scaled to the neighborhood was important to the developer of Kendall Yards, a mixed-used area being built on an old industrial site along the Spokane River.

In an interview last year, Kendall Yards developer Jim Frank said he had conversations with Fred Meyer, Whole Foods and URM before finalizing an agreement with My Fresh Basket, which is owned by local investors.