Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel, along with 70 team members, rang the Nasdaq opening bell today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their first New York City flagship store. The 2004 opening of the Columbus Circle store was a significant milestone in the company’s New York expansion, revolutionizing the city’s grocery scene with high-quality natural and organic foods in what was then the city’s largest grocery store. Today, Whole Foods Market boasts 17 locations and over 5,000 team members in the New York City area.
“The opening of the Whole Foods Market Columbus Circle store was one of the most important events in our company’s history,” said Christina Minardi, Executive Vice President of Growth & Development at Whole Foods Market and Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores. “It had a profound impact on our future growth, and the excitement I felt then is the same as I feel today with our team members.”
“Today, we’re not just reflecting on our impact in New York City over the past two decades. We’re also looking forward to an exciting future of continued growth in a city that has embraced Whole Foods Market with such enthusiasm,” said Jason Buechel, Whole Foods Market CEO. “Launching a new store format here made perfect sense. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will conveniently bring our high-quality natural and organic food to even more New York City customers.”
The first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is set to open on the Upper East Side at 1175 Third Avenue this fall.
The company also announced a second future location for the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop format at 301 West 50th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. Additional New York City locations and a national rollout will follow.
Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores will offer 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, offering coffee, tea, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.
The innovative, smaller store format will range between 7,000 to 14,000 square feet, about a quarter to half the size of an average 40,000 square foot store. It is designed to provide the freshest, high-quality ingredients with convenience suited to fast-paced urban lifestyles. Expanding through this smaller format store is part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores’ strategy to create a top-tier shopping experience that meets diverse customer needs.
Whole Foods Market currently operates more than 530 stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, with over 75 stores in development.
About Whole Foods Market
Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer and the first certified organic national grocer in the United States. As part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 530 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
