A Whole Lot of Growth

Whole Foods Market (Austin, Texas) has announced plans to open an 80,000-square-foot landmark store and a 200,000-square-foot office tower in its headquarters city.

The store, on Lamar Boulevard between Fifth and Sixth streets, will be the largest Whole Foods Market store currently in development and more than twice the size of its current downtown Austin location. The ground-breaking is scheduled to take place late this year with an estimated completion date in early 2005.

“We are no longer content just to be the best natural foods store,” said co-founder, president and ceo John Mackey, “but instead aspire to be the finest food retailer in every community we serve. We believe this new landmark store provides us with that opportunity.”

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Whole Foods now claims to be the world's largest natural and organic foods supermarket retailer, with more than 130 U.S. stores and $2.3 billion in sales in fiscal year 2001. In addition to Whole Foods Markets, it operates under the Fresh Fields, Bread & Circus and Wellspring Grocery nameplates. It plans to open its first international store, in Toronto, this year.

“Whole Foods Market has an aggressive growth goal to more than triple our store base to 400 stores by the year 2010,” said Jim Sud, executive vp of growth and business development.