Whole Foods Announces Plans for Landmark Store, Worldwide Headquarters in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas - Whole Foods Market, the world's largest natural and organic foods supermarket retailer, today announced its plans for a new 80,000-square-foot landmark store and 200,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Austin.
The ground breaking is scheduled to take place late this year with an estimated completion date in early 2005.
"With the breadth of food retailing knowledge and experience we have today, we are no longer content just to be the best natural foods store but instead aspire to be the finest food retailer in every community we serve. We believe this new 80,000-square-foot landmark store provides us with that opportunity," said Whole Foods president and CEO John Mackey.
The new store will be the largest Whole Foods Market store currently in development and will more than double the size of its current downtown Austin location. It will feature natural and organic foods, with a focus on produce, prepared foods, bakery, meat and seafood.
More than 20 years ago the company opened the first Whole Foods Market at 10th and Lamar Blvd., just blocks from the site for the new store. At 10,000 square feet, it was the largest natural foods store in the country.
"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 vice president of growth and business development for Whole Foods Market. "This one-of-a kind site has everything we are looking for: an opportunity to significantly expand our corporate infrastructure to meet our future growth goals; the space to build a large, landmark store in our hometown; and the ability to keep our roots firmly planted in downtown Austin."
The ground breaking is scheduled to take place late this year with an estimated completion date in early 2005.
"With the breadth of food retailing knowledge and experience we have today, we are no longer content just to be the best natural foods store but instead aspire to be the finest food retailer in every community we serve. We believe this new 80,000-square-foot landmark store provides us with that opportunity," said Whole Foods president and CEO John Mackey.
The new store will be the largest Whole Foods Market store currently in development and will more than double the size of its current downtown Austin location. It will feature natural and organic foods, with a focus on produce, prepared foods, bakery, meat and seafood.
More than 20 years ago the company opened the first Whole Foods Market at 10th and Lamar Blvd., just blocks from the site for the new store. At 10,000 square feet, it was the largest natural foods store in the country.
"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 vice president of growth and business development for Whole Foods Market. "This one-of-a kind site has everything we are looking for: an opportunity to significantly expand our corporate infrastructure to meet our future growth goals; the space to build a large, landmark store in our hometown; and the ability to keep our roots firmly planted in downtown Austin."