ST. CROIX — The owner of Pueblo Supermarket, World Fresh Market LLC, is facing eviction from two of the grocery store’s locations in the territory for failure to pay a combined total of $783,201.31 in rent owed since last November to its landlord, PDCM Associates SE, according to court documents.
PDCM, a Puerto Rico special partnership, filed two civil complaints Friday in Superior Court against World Fresh Market, which has been PDCM’s tenant since 1999 at both locations — Golden Rock Shopping Center on St. Croix and Long Bay Shopping Center on St. Thomas.
World Fresh Market owes $355,962.86 in rent for its store in Golden Rock Shopping Center on St. Croix, and $427,238.45 in rent for its store in Long Bay Shopping Center on St. Thomas, according to court documents.
PDCM originally leased the supermarket spaces in the Golden Rock Shopping Center and Long Bay Shopping Center to XTRA Super Food Center Inc. on June 1, 1999. Both leases were assigned to and assumed by World Fresh Market pursuant to a July 23, 2007 agreement.
After World Fresh Market failed to pay rent, PDCM notified the company on November 27, 2024 as required in the lease and indicated that failure to pay all outstanding rent within 10 days would constitute an event of default under a section of the lease. PDCM notified World Fresh via attorney Michael Sheesley, the company’s registered agent. Sheesley said he did not have any information about the complaint when asked for a comment.
The default allowed PDCM to initiate the civil complaints, which were submitted by attorney Kevin Rames. PDCM is requesting the court enter judgment in its favor and against World Fresh Market for possession of the leased premises at both supermarket locations in addition to ordering World Fresh to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and granting PDCM such other and further relief as the interests of justice may require.
