Maurer’s Building New Store in Downtown Milwaukee

Maurer’s Foods said this week it would open a new store known as Urban Market as part of a new apartment tower in downtown Milwaukee.

The store, expected to open early next year, will be the first in metro Milwaukee for Maurer’s and will occupy the ground floor of Northwestern Mutual’s new 7Seventy7 apartment tower in the East Town neighborhood. In recent years, retailers such as Target, Roche Bros. and Heinen's have developed compact urban formats designed to serve growing city populations.

Jeff Maurer, owner of Madison, Wis.-based Maurer’s, said the new store would be based on its Fresh Madison Market store it has operated in Madison since 2010. The 10,500-square-foot supermarket will offer a full grocery selection, produce, meats and seafood, an in-house bakery, a fresh deli and sushi bar and a large dairy and cheese assortment. Urban Market will also feature chef-prepared meals, including grab-and-go and ready-to-heat options. The store will have in-store and outside patio seating, catering services and online ordering for pickup and delivery.

“We have a lot of experience operating full-service markets in high-density, urban areas, and we have a great idea of what people who live and work in downtown Milwaukee want and need from a neighborhood grocer,” Maurer said . “We think they’ll love everything Urban Market has to offer, from our competitive prices to our top-quality products, easy access and ‘restaurant within a store’ features. Urban Market will fill a big need in this vibrant, growing neighborhood, and we are delighted to move into 7Seventy7.”

Maurer’s Foods also operates Maurer’s Market stores in Janesville and Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Maurer was a co-owner with supplier SpartanNash of the City Fresh Market in Lafayette, Ind., which closed earlier this year.

The leasing deal was brokered by CBRE. Mehmert Store Services, Pewaukee, Wis., will design the grocery space. 7Seventy7 opened to residents earlier this summer and—in record time—has reached more than 50% leased to date.