Roche to Build Marketplace Store Near MIT Campus

Roche Bros. is bringing its Brothers Marketplace concept to a new development near MIT’s campus in Cambridge, Mass.

The new store is expected to open in summer of 2019 as part of the One Broadway project of MIT’s Kendall Square Initiative, which is developing a mixed-use project at the site of MIT-owned parking lots. MIT officials said a grocery store was the most requested retail use specified by neighborhood residents, local employees, and students during the zoning process.

“The community’s desire for a grocery store was raised in every conversation that we had with stakeholders during our zoning process,” Steve Marsh, managing director of MIT’s Real Estate group. “It is so important to those who live and work in Kendall that we worked to incorporate it in the earliest possible phase of our development. Going forward, we believe that the market will also serve as an anchor for other retail that contributes to a vibrant neighborhood and greater sense of place in the square.”

The planned 19,000-square-foot Brothers Marketplace in Cambridge would be the fourth location since Roche introduced the concept in 2014. Officials of Roche Bros. say the store is based on the neighborhood market of the 1940s, emphasizing service and unique offerings built around changing consumer shopping habits influenced by the convenience and fresh trends.

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Shoppers will find grocery essentials and national brands alongside unique offerings in prepared foods made in-store, baked goods, fresh produce, local seafood, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, local and international cheeses, and offerings from local producers.

“We are excited to open our Brothers Marketplace store in Kendall Square and meet the local community’s longstanding need for a grocery store,” said Rick Roche, co-owner and CEO of Wellesley, Mass.-based Roche Bros. “The MIT Kendall Square neighborhood is a dynamic and growing community, and we hope our neighborhood market becomes a favorite grocery and dining experience for area residents and businesses.”

Roche opened Brothers Marketplace stores in Medfield and Weston, Mass. in 2014 and is currently building a third store in Waltham, Mass., expected to open in the spring.