Whole Foods Marks 20 Years In NYC
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Whole Foods Market’s firs New York City store, the grocer’s CEO Jason Buechel and 70 employees rang the Nasdaq opening bell on July 15.
In the 20 years since the grocer opening its flagship store in Columbus Circle, the company has expanded to 17 locations with more than 5,000 employees across the New York City region.
"The opening of the Whole Foods Market Columbus Circle store was, in my opinion, one of the most important openings in the history of our company," said Christina Minardi, executive vice president of Growth & Development at Whole Foods Market & Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores. "It made a huge impact on our future growth, and the excitement I felt at that opening is very much what I feel today with our Team Members."
As Whole Foods celebrates 20 years in New York City, the company is also looking ahead as it eyes future growth in the metropolis along with other regions around the U.S. and globally.
“Today, we're not just reflecting on our impact in New York City over the past two decades,” said Buechel. “We’re also looking forward to an exciting future of continuing growth in a city that has embraced Whole Foods Market with such enthusiasm. It made perfect sense for us to launch a new store format right here. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will conveniently bring our high-quality natural and organic food to even more New York City customers.”
Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores will feature a variety of fresh, seasonal produce, prepared foods, and essential grocery items. Both of the newly announced New York City locations will also feature Juice & Java, a venue providing coffee, tea, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.
The first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop location is set to open on the Upper East Side at 1175 Third Avenue this fall. The company also announced the second location for the Daily Shop format, at 301 West 50th Street, in Hell’s Kitchen. An additional New York City location and national rollout will follow.
The smaller store format will range between 7,000 to 14,000 square feet, or about a quarter to half the footprint of an average 40,000 square foot store. It is designed to bring the freshest, high-quality ingredients to customers with a convenience that fits their fast-paced urban lifestyles. Serving more customers through this smaller format store is part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores’ efforts to build a best-in-class shopping experience that meets all of the different customer needs, company officials said.
Whole Foods Market currently has more than 530 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada with more than 75 stores in development.
