April 19, 2013 -- The high-end organic grocery chain Bristol Farms will open its newest store in Santa Monica this summer, replacing a mid-priced grocery store that was a staple of the community for more than a decade.

The California-based gourmet and natural foods retailer said it plans to open its newest outlet at the corner of Berkeley Street and Wilshire Avenue, the former site of Albertson's, which closed last year.

“Our new Santa Monica location will be the perfect addition to the Bristol Farms family of stores,” said Kevin Davis, president and CEO of Bristol Farms.

Currently, the nearest Bristol Farms store to Santa Monica is on Westwood Boulevard.

Illustration courtesy of Bristol Farms

The project, which was approved by the Architectural Review Board on February 4, would “greatly enhance the north-facing elevation and the Wilshire Boulevard façade with an updated appearance,” staff said.

The remodel proposed by Bristol Farms for the new store would rehab the front with a new paint job, redwood plank sunshades and siding, sandstone tiles, a cornice element, and a new u-shaped canopy with support columns clad with fiber cement panels, staff said.

The remodeled building would also have outdoor dining space and seating for customers.

“Our new Santa Monica Store will feature an all new décor package that celebrates and highlights the spirit and passion of the Santa Monica community in a fun and exciting manner,” said Davis.

The store will be Santa Monica's first Bristol Farms in an increasingly upscale city known for its residents' conscientious consumption habits and penchant for high-end grocery stores.

The new Bristol Farms will likely compete with Whole Foods -- a rival organic grocer known for its healthy fare and high prices -- that has an outlet just ten blocks south on Wilshire Boulevard.

There is another, albeit smaller, Whole Foods in the 8.3-square-mile City at Fifth Street and Wilshire.

Davis is confident that moving Bristol Farms to the 84,000 square-foot parcel in eastern Santa Monica is the right move.

“We want to be Santa Monica’s every day, locally grown, community driven, ultra-fresh food store,” he said. “This store location and size offers us the opportunity to expand our total offering to provide even more for our customers’ everyday needs, and we are very excited about it.”

Within Los Angeles County, there are other Bristol Farms in West Hollywood, South Pasadena, Westchester, Manhattan Beach and Rolling Hills.