New Festival Foods store coming to Madison

Gebhardt Development has announced that Festival Foods, an Onalaska-based grocery chain with 18 locations in Wisconsin, will be the new grocery tenant at its $65 million, multi-use development on East Washington Avenue across from Breese Stevens Field. Gebhardt was looking for an anchor grocery tenant after negotiations with Metcalfe’s Market fell through.

Festival, which operates mostly in the northern part of the state, also bought Fort Atkinson’s Vos Sentry Foods and will convert it by summer. A Wisconsin State Journal report claims there is some speculation that Festival could purchase some area Copps stores in the future.

A typical Festival Foods grocery store is about 70,000 to 75,000 sq. ft., but the company’s entry into the Madison market will reportedly be a smaller, urban-format store offering more prepared and fresh foods.