Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will be smaller and more convenient. Courtesy rendering

Texas-based Whole Foods Market is unrolling a new kind of store for urban neighborhoods that'll be smaller and quicker than its current mega-model.

Called Whole Food Market Daily Shop, it'll be designed as a quick, convenient shopping experience, targeted to urban neighborhoods. According to a release, the new format will debut in Manhattan's Upper East Side at 1175 Third Ave. in 2024, with additional locations in New York to follow.

Following the New York city launch, the chain will bring the format to other cities across the U.S.

The stores will range from 7,000-14,000 square feet — about a quarter to half the size of the average 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market — making it easier to open in dense, metropolitan areas.

Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will feature grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials, and a quick, easy destination to pick up ingredients to complete a meal.

Though smaller, the stores will still offer produce, meat, and seafood; prepared foods like sandwiches and pre-packed meals; bread, alcohol, and supplements; plus products under the 365 by Whole Foods Market private label.

The first location only will also feature a venue called Juice & Java, with coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.

Whole Foods VP Christina Minardi says in a statement that the store's design reflects the unique needs of urban neighborhoods.

“At our new store formats, we’re tailoring every square foot to the unique, fast-paced needs of urban lifestyles," Minardi says. "We’re excited to introduce a new way for our customers to quickly pick up their Whole Foods Market favorites — from grab-and-go meals to that last-minute dinner ingredient — making the early morning or after work grocery trips more efficient and enjoyable."

This is not WFM's first effort to expand beyond the traditional supermarket footprint. In 2016, the chain introduced 365 by Whole Foods Market, a lower-price concept designed to appeal to younger shoppers. It went on to open nine locations, but scrapped the concept in 2019, following its acquisition in 2017 by Amazon.

The new format stores will not replace traditional or existing store locations. New York currently has 17 regular stores, including the most recent added at One Wall Street in 2023. The chain, which was founded in Austin in 1980, currently has more than 530 stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada with another 75-plus stores in the pipeline, and is part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Amazon Dash Cart is now available at a Whole Foods in Texas. Courtesy Amazon

Smart carts roll into Texas grocery store

hi, tech

If being more efficient with your time is one of your new year's goals, a faster way to shop is on the horizon in 2023.

Amazon Dash Cart just arrived at one local San Antonio Whole Foods Market, allowing shoppers to skip the checkout line altogether.

Located at 18403 Blanco Road, the Vineyard Whole Foods Market store is one of the first three locations in the country to make Amazon Dash Carts available to customers.

The smart grocery carts lets you scan items as you go, place them directly into your grocery bags, and head straight to the car when you're done shopping. Shoppers log in through a QR code in the Whole Foods Market app, which prompts a quick sign in process before you can begin using the cart.

As you scan each item while shipping, the Amazon Dash Cart’s screen shows a real-time receipt of all items in the cart. When ready to check out, shoppers can skip the checkout line, exiting the store through the designated Amazon Dash Cart lane. Payment is then processed using the credit card associated with the shopper's Amazon account, and an automated receipt arrives at the associated email account after exiting the store.

While the carts have been in Amazon Fresh Stores across the country since 2020, they are now available in select Whole Foods Markets. Several 2022 updates included doubled capacity in the carts, new shelves for delicates and oversized items alike, weather-resistant features, and extended all-day batter life.

"As many of our customers return to their in-store grocery shopping routines, it's exciting to introduce new and unique ways for them to shop our stores," says Leandro Balbinot, chief technology officer for Whole Foods Market, in the 2022 announcement about the carts' new features.

Customers can find more detailed information on the technology here, along with a number of FAQs.

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This article previously ran on CultureMap.

Shop smarter with these tech-enabled carts. Image via Amazon

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Houston robotics co. unveils new robot that can handle extreme temperatures

Hot New Robot

Houston- and Boston-based Square Robot Inc.'s newest tank inspection robot is commercially available and certified to operate at extreme temperatures.

The new robot, known as the SR-3HT, can operate from 14°F to 131°F, representing a broader temperature range than previous models in the company's portfolio. According to the company, its previous temperature range reached 32°F to 104°F.

The new robot has received the NEC/CEC Class I Division 2 (C1D2) certification from FM Approvals, allowing it to operate safely in hazardous locations and to perform on-stream inspections of aboveground storage tanks containing products stored at elevated temperatures.

“Our engineering team developed the SR-3HT in response to significant client demand in both the U.S. and international markets. We frequently encounter higher temperatures due to both elevated process temperatures and high ambient temperatures, especially in the hotter regions of the world, such as the Middle East," David Lamont, CEO of Square Robot, said in a news release. "The SR-3HT employs both active and passive cooling technology, greatly expanding our operating envelope. A great job done (again) by our engineers delivering world-leading technology in record time.”

The company's SR-3 submersible robot and Side Launcher received certifications earlier this year. They became commercially available in 2023, after completing initial milestone testing in partnership with ExxonMobil, according to Square Robot.

The company closed a $13 million series B round in December, which it said it would put toward international expansion in Europe and the Middle East.

Square Robot launched its Houston office in 2019. Its autonomous, submersible robots are used for storage tank inspections and eliminate the need for humans to enter dangerous and toxic environments.

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This article originally appeared on EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

Houston's Ion District to expand with new research and tech space, The Arc

coming soon

Houston's Ion District is set to expand with the addition of a nearly 200,000-square-foot research and technology facility, The Arc at the Ion District.

Rice Real Estate Company and Lincoln Property Company are expected to break ground on the state-of-the-art facility in Q2 2026 with a completion target set for Q1 2028, according to a news release.

Rice University, the new facility's lead tenant, will occupy almost 30,000 square feet of office and lab space in The Arc, which will share a plaza with the Ion and is intended to "extend the district’s success as a hub for innovative ideas and collaboration." Rice research at The Arc will focus on energy, artificial intelligence, data science, robotics and computational engineering, according to the release.

“The Arc will offer Rice the opportunity to deepen its commitment to fostering world-changing innovation by bringing our leading minds and breakthrough discoveries into direct engagement with Houston’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said in the release. “Working side by side with industry experts and actual end users at the Ion District uniquely positions our faculty and students to form partnerships and collaborations that might not be possible elsewhere.”

Developers of the project are targeting LEED Gold certification by incorporating smart building automation and energy-saving features into The Arc's design. Tenants will have the opportunity to lease flexible floor plans ranging from 28,000 to 31,000 square feet with 15-foot-high ceilings. The property will also feature a gym, an amenity lounge, conference and meeting spaces, outdoor plazas, underground parking and on-site retail and dining.

Preleasing has begun for organizations interested in joining Rice in the building.

“The Arc at the Ion District will be more than a building—it will be a catalyst for the partnerships, innovations and discoveries that will define Houston’s future in science and technology,” Ken Jett, president of Rice Real Estate Company, added in the release. “By expanding our urban innovation ecosystem, The Arc will attract leading organizations and talent to Houston, further strengthening our city’s position as a hub for scientific and entrepreneurial progress.”

Intel Corp. and Rice University sign research access agreement

innovation access

Rice University’s Office of Technology Transfer has signed a subscription agreement with California-based Intel Corp., giving the global company access to Rice’s research portfolio and the opportunity to license select patented innovations.

“By partnering with Intel, we are creating opportunities for our research to make a tangible impact in the technology sector,” Patricia Stepp, assistant vice president for technology transfer, said in a news release.

Intel will pay Rice an annual subscription fee to secure the option to evaluate specified Rice-patented technologies, according to the agreement. If Intel chooses to exercise its option rights, it can obtain a license for each selected technology at a fee.

Rice has been a hub for innovation and technology with initiatives like the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, an accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology; RBL LLC, a biotech venture studio in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park dedicated to commercializing lifesaving medical technologies from the Launch Pad; and Rice Nexus, an AI-focused "innovation factory" at the Ion.

The university has also inked partnerships with other tech giants in recent months. Rice's OpenStax, a provider of affordable instructional technologies and one of the world’s largest publishers of open educational resources, partnered with Microsoft this summer. Google Public Sector has also teamed up with Rice to launch the Rice AI Venture Accelerator, or RAVA.

“This agreement exemplifies Rice University’s dedication to fostering innovation and accelerating the commercialization of groundbreaking research,” Stepp added in the news release.