Texas' Whole Foods Market chain introduces new innovative concept for urban areas
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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.
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