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Get your free copy08 November 2010, 18:13 PM
- American speciality food retailer Whole Foods Market has announced plans to open two new stores in the UK, including one in Richmond upon Thames, London and one in Giffnock, Glasgow
The company is due to open a 22,000 square-foot outlet in Glasgow – its first store north of the Watford Gap – by the end of 2011, while the new London launch is set for early 2013. The grocer currently has five stores in London at locations in Camden, Clapham Junction, Kensington, Soho and Stoke Newington, with another 44 stores in development worldwide.
The new announcement signals the first expansion of Whole Foods Market’s UK business since it opened its Kensington store in 2007. The stores will total more than 40,000 square feet of floor space and provide jobs for 300 local people, including skilled chefs, butchers and bakers.
“We are delighted to underscore our commitment to the UK and make this further investment in our business here. It’s always been our ambition to open stores the length and breadth of the UK to offer our fresh and vibrant shopping experience,” Jeff Turnas, regional president of Whole Foods Market UK.
“Our goal is to be the finest food shop in every community we serve. We will be baking and cooking in the stores each day and we will be offering an amazing array of fresh, healthy and organic food. We are also committed to supporting regional producers and will be offering a host of products sourced locally,” he adds.
Since the opening of its first store in Austin, Texas in 1980, Whole Foods Market has expanded across America and Canada to open over 300 branches. It currently employs more than 650 people in the UK and 57,200 team members worldwide.
