The frequent haunt for campus shoppers will close for good by "early March." Acme will take over the vacant space this semester, but timelines for opening day remain to be seen.

The Fresh Grocer store located at 40th and Walnut Streets will close permanently by “early March,” according to a statement released Friday. An Acme store will take its place later this spring, Penn announced Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for The Fresh Grocer said in a statement, “The University of Pennsylvania and The Fresh Grocer have agreed to end The Fresh Grocer supermarket’s tenancy at 40th and Walnut Streets in the coming months, after almost 20 years of successful operations.”

In an email Wednesday morning, a representative for Penn’s Facilities and Real Estate Services department told The Statesman that “the University has executed a lease with Acme Markets for this location.”

Penn has tried to remove The Fresh Grocer since 2015. The university had originally announced in 2017 that an Acme store would take its place. That move was initially stalled in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas until a judge ruled in the university’s favor last February.

In a statement Sunday morning, FRES tipped its hat to the Fresh Grocer for opening the University City store in 2001 “at a time when many other operators were unwilling to take that risk.”

That statement, supplied by FRES Director of Communications Jennifer Rizzi, announced several contenders had vied to take over the lease.

“The University has solicited and reviewed proposals from multiple parties to operate a supermarket at 40th and Walnut Streets after the Fresh Grocer vacates the space in the Spring of 2020, and looks forward to the opening of a new supermarket later this year,” the FRES statement announced Sunday.

It remains unclear when students and other University City denizens will be able to pick up foodstuffs at the intersection again. Ms. Rizzi says Acme “is currently working on an anticipated timeframe” for their renovations and eventual opening at 4001 Walnut.

The Fresh Grocer says no jobs will be lost in its closure, and it is “actively assisting” each Walnut Street associate to be placed at another company-owned store.

The Fresh Grocer’s spokeswoman on Friday invited customers to continue shopping at “nearby” stores which the chain will continue to operate, including a location at 56th and Chestnut Streets as well as The Fresh Grocer of Grey’s Ferry.

“Additionally, we are pleased to offer a complimentary transportation service through a partnership with Lyft that provides free rides home to customers who shop at our other store locations,” her statement announced.

Shoppers looking to skip longer walks can also find consolation in online grocery shopping available through Instacart or on The Fresh Grocer’s website.

However, the outgoing company will face brick-and-mortar competition from closer stores, including the Giant Heirloom Market at 34th and Chestnut Streets and the Aldi store near 44th and Market. Penn Transit also offers free shuttles to Trader Joe’s in Center City twice a week, and FRES points to the on-campus Gourmet Grocer (which accepts Dining Dollars from Quakers with meal plans) as yet another interim alternative for students at a loss for supplies.

The Trader Joe’s shuttle gives students a two-way ride, while Fresh Grocer’s Lyft program only offers shoppers a ride home.

Last August, Philadelphia Department of Health inspectors forced the Walnut Street Fresh Grocer to shut down temporarily due to mice feces and other risk factors.

The store in University City, a frequent haunt for student shoppers, opened at 40th and Walnut in 2001. The Fresh Grocer’s parent company leases the space below a Penn-owned parking garage at that intersection.

UPDATE: This article was last updated on Feb. 19, 2020 at 2:35 p.m.