Fresh Market will not be allowed to sell alcohol over Labor Day weekend, as part of its agreement with the Village of Wilmette after admitting it sold liquor to minors.

Fresh Market and Jewel-Osco both admitted to selling alcohol to minors during a hearing with Wilmette’s Liquor Commission on Aug. 27.

After sting operations in Wilmette, Fresh Market, 3232 Lake Ave., was charged with three separate occasions of selling alcohol to minors between December 2011 and July 212. The grocery store did not ask for identification on any of the three occassions, according to Wilmette police.

Fresh Market was fined $10,000 and its liquor license will be suspended from Friday morning and Monday evening this coming Labor Day weekend. The last time Fresh Market violated the village's liquor license was in November 2008.

“Fresh Market has informed us that it has terminated the offending employee and its Wilmette store is under new management,” President Christopher Canning said during the Aug. 28 board meeting. 

Jewel-Osco, 411 Green Bay Rd., was charged with one incident of selling alcoholic beverage to a minor and fined $750. The Jewel employee asked for identification but misread the date of birth, Wilmette police said.

“This was the first such sale in several years,” Canning said. The previous violation occured in 2007.

Wilmette police conducts sting operations three times a year on sales of alcohol and tabacco.

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