Whole Foods Market to Expand Small-Format Store Concept for Urban Shoppers
Whole Foods Market is opening a small-format store dubbed Whole Foods Market Daily Shop in New York City this year, with plans to expand the store concept.
Ranging from 7,000-14,000 square feet, the quick-shop stores are about a quarter to half the footprint of the average 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market store. The first new Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will open this year on the Upper East Side in Manhattan at 1175 Third Avenue, with additional locations in New York City, N.Y., to follow. Following the New York City launch, Whole Foods Market plans to bring the format to other cities across the country.
This is not Whole Foods Market's first foray into testing the small-format store concept. In 2019, the grocer piloted a smaller, 2,500-square-foot version of the Daily Shop concept in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. However, during the pandemic the company needed to repurpose the space for online orders to meet customer demand for pickup and delivery, Whole Foods Market confirmed in an email. There was a positive customer response to the new concept and now the grocer is excited to build on the success of that pilot as it opens the new Whole Foods Market Daily Shop locations.
The Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores are designed to provide shoppers in urban neighborhoods a quick, convenient shopping experience. Customers at these stores will be able to use self-checkout or check out with a Whole Foods Market Team Member. Amazon One, the palm-based identity service for payment, will be an option available at self-checkout and the customer service booth, Whole Foods Market confirmed.
The smaller stores will provide an option for grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials, and still offer seasonal produce, meat and seafood, prepared foods, breads, alcohol, and supplements, as well as a handpicked range of local specialties and the private label 365 by Whole Foods Market brand. In addition, the location expected to open this year will be the first Whole Foods Market store in Manhattan to offer Juice & Java, a venue for coffee, tea, fresh pressed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and various desserts.
“At our new store formats, we’re tailoring every square foot to the unique, fast-paced needs of urban lifestyles,” said Christina Minardi, EVP growth and development, Whole Foods Market and Amazon. “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.”
The new format stores will not replace the traditional Whole Foods Market store format, the company said. In 2023, Whole Foods Market added its 17th store in New York City at One Wall Street. Whole Foods Market currently more than 75 stores in the pipeline.
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods has more than 530 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle-based Amazon, which is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. Both Whole Foods and Amazon were named among PG’s Retailers of the Century.
This article originally appeared in sister publication RIS.
