PHOTO GALLERY: A Peek Inside Whole Foods Market's Newest Connecticut Store

In what's become a grand opening tradition, Whole Foods leaders celebrated the new Connecticut store with a bread-breaking ceremony.

Whole Foods Market kicked off its round of 2024 store openings in South Windsor, Conn., this week. The grocer welcomed shoppers to its new 43,406-square-foot store at The Shops at Evergreen Walk on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The grand opening included a special bread breaking ceremony with Whole Foods executives. Corporate and store leaders were also on hand to present a $150,000 low-interest loan to local supplier One Mighty Mill through Whole Foods’ Local Producer Loan Program. In addition, the Amazon-owned grocer marked the occasion by donating a refrigerated van to a food rescue organization and by supporting neighborhood food banks.

Early-bird customers got a first look at this Whole Foods, the fifth location in the greater Hartford market. Amid a backdrop of warm, neutral colors and jewel tones, they browsed the store’s offerings that include more than 1,000 local products from New England, ranging from farm-grown produce to artisan cheese to pastas, sauces, breads and more.

Similar to other Whole Foods outposts, the South Windsor one features full-service meat and seafood counters, in-store bakery and expansive prepared foods department. The adult beverage department stocks more than 250 craft beers, including more than two dozen from local breweries. The Whole Body department, meanwhile, includes an array of wellness and beauty items.

“We are thrilled to open our doors in South Windsor,” declared Chad Radl, store team leader. “Through our knowledgeable team members, high quality standards and hand-picked selection of local-to-New England-products, we look forward to serving this wonderful community.”

Whole Foods Market South Windsor will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

The debut of the Connecticut store follows the mid-December opening of a Whole Foods Market in Madison, Wis., and two November openings in Jersey City, N.J., and Overland Park, Kan. At Progressive Grocer’s Grocery Impact event in November, CEO Jason Buechel shared that Whole Foods is expanding its reach by growing its store footprint to open 30 locations a year and also enabling direct shipments to customers seeking the grocer’s private label 365 brand offerings.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods has more than 500 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.

South Windsor Whole Foods

The new Whole Foods in the Hartford area has a welcoming vibe from the first steps inside.
The South Windsor Whole Foods sources produce from five nearby farms.
Trained cheesemongers will help shoppers navigate the cheese displays at the new store.
More than a dozen local brands are featured in the health and wellness department.
Whole Foods deployed some of the latest technologies across the store to enhance the customer experience, including in the self-checkout area.
Through its Nourishing Our Neighborhoods initiative, Whole Foods is donating food and a refrigerated van to a local food rescue organization and food banks.