Whole Foods Unveils Site of Second Smaller Store in NY

Whole Foods Market (Austin, Texas) has unveiled the location for its second smaller-format store in New York. The latest Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will be at 301 W. 50th St., in Hell’s Kitchen, with an additional New York location and national rollout to follow. (The first such shop is set to open this fall on the Upper East Side, at 1175 Third Ave.)

The announcement about the second locale was made by CEO Jason Buechel, when he was recently in New York with 70 team members to ring the Nasdaq opening bell to celebrate the 20th anniversary of brand’s first New York flagship store. Since then, Whole Foods Market has grown to have 17 locations in the market.

“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, EVP of Growth & Development at Whole Foods Market and 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.”

Said Buechel: “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.”

The brand’s smaller store format will range between 7000 to 14,000 square feet, or about a quarter to half the footprint of its average store. The concept is part of parent company Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores’ effort to build a best-in-class shopping experience, the company said.

Overall, Whole Foods Market currently has more than 530 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, with 75-plus more in development.