After nearly a decade of consolidation and closures in the UK, Whole Foods Market looks set to hit double figures with its UK retail estate over the next 12 months.
Having opened a store on Chelsea’s King’s Road earlier this year, the American high-end chain looks set to open as many as six more outlets across the Capital – in the wake of parent company Amazon’s decision to close its Fresh retail chain in the UK.
The online retail behemoth announced at the end of September that it was closing all 19 of its physical stores, which feature till-less transactions, to focus purely on the growing online grocery market.
Of these sites, 14 will close permanently, while five properties will be retained and turned into Whole Foods shops.
As FFD went to press, it wasn’t clear what the chosen sites are. Amazon Fresh’s sites were dotted all over the city, including units close to transport hubs and offices in locations such as White City, Liverpool Street, Southwark and Euston.
In a statement announcing the closures, Amazon also hinted at the arrival of another entirely new Whole Foods site in 2026.
It said: “With the proposed addition of these five stores, the opening of a Whole Foods Market in Chelsea earlier this year, and an additional store in Greater London by the end of 2026, we would have 12 Whole Foods Market stores in the UK.”
It added that Whole Foods Market’s strong focus on ethically robust and quality sourcing will continue across the expanded estate, while looking to add more organic products.
The newest store at 120 King’s Road is 21,800sq ft, with features including full-service seafood and butchery counters, a cheese counter, bakery and coffee bar, as well as a large selection of local brands and organic items.
In addition to the its physical retail plans, Amazon pledged to continue investing in and expanding its online delivery of essentials and fresh groceries through its own websites and third-party devliery partners, including Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland, and Gopuff.
It said: “In response to strong customer demand, we are working hard to add more grocery selection online and expand our delivery services to new areas.
“By early next year, we plan to more than double the number of Amazon UK Prime members who have access to three or more online grocery delivery options.”
This article first appeared in the October-November issue of Fine Food Digest.
