Brennan's Market to Close After 75 Years

 In 1942, Frank Brennan opened his road-side fruit stand in Monroe, Wis. Now, due to changing consumer habits and increased competition, Brennan's Market will be closing all stores September 30, 2017, company officials say.

Brennan's Market, with five retail locations and a cheese warehouse and packaging facility, employs 150 full and part-time workers. The Brookfield, Wis. location is being sold but will remain open along with the other stores.  As of now, there are no firm plans for the sale of the remaining properties but all stores will remain fully staffed and stocked. 

Over the years, Brennan's Market has built personal relationships with its growers and producers to assure the best possible quality from harvest and production to delivery, officials say.  For decades, the Brennan's family and staff personally visited and inspected every farm, orchard, vineyard, microbrewery and cheese factory that they purchased from including locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and Italy. 

In 1967 Brennan's Market expanded into Madison, Wis, in 1988 into Brookfield, Wis, and into Oconomowoc, Wis. and in 2009 as Frank's son Skip took over the management of the business. Brennan's Market saw a significant decline in sales during the recession beginning in 2008.  However, even as the economy rebounded, Brennan's Market sales remained flat.  The growth of competition and new options for consumers has made Brennan's Market business model unsustainable, officials say.

"Although we're all saddened by the decision to close our doors later this year, we are sincerely grateful for the generations of loyal customers and our incredible partners," says Tim Culhane, general manager/owner of Brennan's Market.  "Without our outstanding staff we never would have achieved our high level of customer service and we will be assisting them with job placement support this fall. We hope that all past employees and customers we've had the honor to serve over the years will stop in and visit through Sept. 30 and enjoy our final Chin Drippin' Peach Season."