Whole Foods Market announced it will open a chain of convenience store-sized stores in New York City as part of its continued expansion in densely populated metropolitan areas across the United States.
in a press release The Amazon-owned luxury supermarket said Monday that each Kwik Shop store will be between 7,000 and 14,000 square feet, more than 50% smaller than the average 40,000 square feet of a typical Whole Foods grocery store.
The first store, named Whole Foods Market Dairy Shop, is located at 1175 Third Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets on the Upper East Side, and was previously owned by a grocery store rival. The space was previously occupied by Food Emporium.
The space is just over 13,300 square feet and has remained vacant since Food Emporium moved in last March, according to commercial real estate market Commercial Cafe.
Whole Foods plans to move into the new 1175 Third Ave. space “this year,” and busy New Yorkers can expect “convenient options for grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials, and quick and easy destination options.” said. Gather the ingredients and complete the meal. ”
In addition to the produce, prepared food and alcohol selections on offer, it will be the first of more than 500 Whole Foods locations nationwide to offer Juice & Java, a casual coffee shop based in Pennsylvania.
Amazon’s Whole Foods Market Dairy Shop will open on the Upper East Side in the coming months, followed by additional stores nationwide.
Whole Foods’ timeline for opening smaller stores is not immediately clear.
Whole Foods asserted that the venture is not intended to replace full-scale grocery stores.
Representatives for Whole Foods did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The Upper East Side news comes at a time of increased competition for grocery stores in New York City. Wegmans opened his long-awaited 87,000 square foot Astor Place store in October.
Earlier this month, the paper learned that some kind of fancy Wegmans is also slated to pop up in a large empty space in Manhattan’s Lincoln Square.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the company planned to open a typical food market or an entirely new concept, but Wegmans is located at 1932 Broadway, between 64th and 65th Streets. – Signed a long-term contract for the Bath & Beyond space.
Other grocery stores, including budget-friendly Lidl and Asian restaurant HMart, have also announced expansions to Chelsea and Long Island City, respectively.
Whole Foods already piloted the Market Dairy Shop in Chelsea in 2019. Eater expressed it like this “A convenience store that looks like a bodega.”
Highlights include an acai bowl station and raw kombucha, Eater said, noting that most dishes are either pre-prepared by Whole Foods or grab-and-go options from local vendors. I am.
