Whole Foods Unveils Small Format for Urban Areas
Whole Foods Market will debut a “quick-shop” store format designed for urban neighborhoods in 2024, the Amazon-owned retailer announced on March 4.
The format, called Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, appears to take a page from Chicago-based grocery/convenience store chain Foxtrot Market and its success in urban areas.
Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores will range in size from 7,000 to 14,000 square feet, slightly larger than Foxtrot's typical 2,500-3,000-square-foot stores and about a quarter the size of a traditional Whole Foods, which are roughly 40,000 square feet.
The Daily Shop store will launch on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, with additional locations in New York to follow, according to a media release. The first store will be located at 1175 Third Avenue. Following the New York openings, Whole Foods plans to bring the format to other cities. Whole Foods says this store concept will pave the way for expansion in dense, metropolitan areas such as bustling hubs like Manhattan “where proximity matters,” per the release.
What will the stores offer?
Daily Shop stores will still offer customer favorites, including a selection of fresh and seasonal produce, meat and seafood, prepared foods like sandwiches and pre-packed meals, breads, alcohol and supplements as well as grab-and-go meals and snacks, a “handpicked range” of local specialties and items from the retailer’s 365 private label. The stores will also include a small self-checkout section.
In addition, the initial Manhattan location will be the first Whole Foods store in the neighborhood to offer Juice & Java, a venue for coffee, tea, fresh pressed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and desserts.
“At our new store formats, we’re tailoring every square foot to the unique, fast-paced needs of urban lifestyles,” Christina Minardi, executive vice president, growth and development, Whole Foods Market and Amazon, said in the release. “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.”
“Expanding our footprint with Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is key to our growth, fostering deeper customer connections and advancing our purpose to nourish people and the planet,” Minardi added.
The Daily Shop stores will not replace the traditional Whole Foods store format, but instead be an addition to diversify the supermarket chain and Amazon’s footprint.
In 2023, Whole Foods Market added its 17th store in New York at One Wall Street, as a way to expand its urban real estate footprint, per the release.
Whole Foods currently has more than 530 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada with more than 75 stores in the pipeline.
