Whole Foods launching new urban convenience-store format

Whole Foods Market is introducing a new, “quick-shop” small-format store designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a fast, convenient shopping experience. Ranging between 7,000 and 14,000 square feet, the size of many traditional convenience stores, the locations are about a quarter to half the footprint of an average 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods grocery store, paving the way for expansion in dense, metropolitan areas, the retailer said.

The new format, called Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, will initially launch on the Upper East Side in Manhattan with additional locations in New York City to follow.

The company expects the first store, located at 1175 Third Ave., to open this year. Following the New York City launch, Whole Foods Market plans to bring the format to other cities across the country.

“In bustling hubs like Manhattan where proximity matters, these stores will bring Whole Foods Market closer to existing customers, while extending the company’s reach to others in surrounding neighborhoods,” the company said in announcing the concept.

The retailer opened a 2,500-square-foot small-format store concept under the same name in New York in 2019. Consumer response to that successful pilot prompted a wider rollout of this concept, Whole Foods Market confirmed for CSP.

Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will offer grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials and a “quick, easy” destination to pick up ingredients to complete a meal, with all items meeting the company’s quality standards. The stores will still offer much of the traditional Whole Foods products mix, including a selection of fresh, seasonal produce, meat and seafood; prepared foods such as sandwiches and pre-packed meals; breads; alcohol; and supplements, as well as a handpicked range of local specialties and the company’s 365 by Whole Foods Market private-label brand.

The location that the company expects to open this year will be the first Whole Foods store in Manhattan 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. 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,” said Christina Minardi, executive vice president growth and development for Whole Foods Market and Amazon. “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.”

Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods is a leading natural and organic foods retailer with more than 530 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with more than 75 stores in the pipeline. Seattle-based Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017.