Bristol Farms Newfound Market at the Irvine Spectrum Center is set to close on Jan. 31.
The nearly 34,000-square-foot grocery store first opened in March 2022, and marked a new concept for the high-end grocer. It also marked one of the larger tenant additions for the Irvine Co.-owned shopping center following a previous 2019 expansion.
“Bristol Farms Newfound Market will close on Jan. 31, 2024. We thank the community for their support as we tested this innovative concept over the past two years,” Bristol Farms said in a statement.
The spot featured a variety of amenities, including a food hall and full-service Italian restaurant Viaggio Pizzeria, alongside its localized and high-priced grocery offerings.
The food hall had a group of different food shops from sushi and chicken sandwiches to a coffee shop. Sources tell the Business Journal that the restaurant options performed well, but that it was difficult to attract typical grocery shoppers to the location.
Irvine Spectrum counts 169 stores across 1.2 million gross leasable square feet. The retail hub is the sixth-largest shopping center in OC determined by 12-month taxable sales of $601 million as of June 2023, according to Business Journal data.
“We are currently in discussions with several best-in-class merchants looking to establish a presence at Irvine Spectrum Center,” General Manager Blake Windal told the Business Journal.
A new tenant will be chosen and announced in the coming months, according to officials.
Bristol Farms’ two other OC locations in Newport Beach and Yorba Linda remain open.
Keep ‘Em Coming
Space at the Spectrum center remains in demand.
The retail hub was chosen by Shake Shack to open its first Orange County restaurant last year. At least four new stores are in the works to open this year, including the second-ever OC location for Georgia’s Restaurant.
The family-owned soul food restaurant was founded by Gretchen Shoemaker, who is also locally known as Nana, and first opened shop at the Anaheim Packing House 10 years ago. It opened a second outpost at the Long Beach Exchange in 2019 and recently added its third location in Eastvale last year in October.
