Kansas City will reopen closed East Side grocery store. Here’s who will run it
Months after the Sun Fresh on Linwood closed for business, a new grocery store will take its place in Kansas City’s East Side. The city announced on Jan. 16 that United Market KC, LLC will operate the grocery store at 3110 Prospect Ave. in the Linwood Shopping Center.
Sun Fresh closed its doors in August 2025 after months of struggling and the city spending $17 million to acquire and redevelop the store. It opened in 2018 and was run by Community Builders Kansas City, a nonprofit that has helped revitalize the city’s East Side.
The Kansas City Star reported in August that shoppers and employees reported safety concerns, including fights, drug use and public sex.
“United Market reflect the City’s commitment to long-term stability and reliable grocery access for the community,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a press release. “We’ve been deliberate throughout this process to help ensure the success of this privately-operated grocery store and the entire Prospect corridor.”
The release said that the operator was narrowed down to three candidates by a panel of city representatives from General Services, which supports KC’s internal services, and neighborhood stakeholders. The city believes that United Market KC, LLC “reflects a strong fit for this location and community,” and that the city’s focus throughout this process is based around “operational experience, financial sustainability, and community alignment.”
United Market is an affiliate of Associated Wholesale Grocers, one of the largest grocery cooperatives in the United States and one of the area’s largest companies. The cooperative supplies 800 stores in 15 states and has operations in Elwood, Kansas.
The city bought the Linwood Shopping Center back in 2014 in hopes of offering more food sources for residents on the East Side. According to a release, the ordinance authorizing the lease agreement was sponsored by Lucas and Third District Councilwomen Melissa Robinson and Melissa Patterson Hazley.
When will the new Linwood grocery store open?
According to the release, the ordinance is expected to be heard in Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee on Jan. 27. If approved by committee and full council, the goal is to open the store by mid-April 2026.
Final lease and operating terms are currently being negotiated, according to the city.
