KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leaders in Kansas City, Missouri, announced Friday a new operator of the grocery store at 31st and Prospect in the Linwood Shopping Center.
Officials have worked for several months to identify a new operator after the previous operator, SunFresh, closed in August 2025.
United Market KC, LLC will now operate the grocery store at 3110 Prospect Avenue.
"United Market reflects the City's commitment to long-term stability and reliable grocery access for the community," Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a news release Friday. "We've been deliberate throughout this process to help ensure the success of this privately-operated grocery store and the entire Prospect corridor."
United Market KC, LLC is an affiliate of Associated Wholesale Grocers.
A panel of City representatives and neighborhood stakeholders interviewed three candidates and selected United Market KC, LLC based on operational experience, financial sustainability and community alignment.
City officials are working on final lease and operating terms. The agreement requires the approval of the KCMO City Council, which could come as soon as February. If all goes well, the new operator could open the store by mid-April.
The location has long been seen as an important part in the city's $15 million east side revitalization efforts, though those efforts have not been without hurdles.
Kansas City-based nonprofit Community Builders KC operated the Sun Fresh previously. KSHB 41 News reporter Alyssa Jackson covered the slow decline in offerings and quality at the store in the weeks before it closed.
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