Whole Foods Market could rival big supermarket chains such as Lidl and Tesco as it tries to make a “dent” in the market. The Amazon-owned company recently opened its first UK location in over 10 years on London’s King’s Road, and now has its sights set on the rest of the country. Its International Vice President, Rich Bonin, said it’s “actively” pursuing plans to open 90 new stores across the UK after the Chelsea location’s opening on March 25.
He told The Grocer: “It’s a bit of a change for us. Our Kensington store is 80,00 sq ft, you’re not going to find many sites of that size in the UK – not that we’d want to. But by having varying sizes, it gives us much more opportunity within all of Greater London really. Between size of stores, right location, ability to hire and develop our team members really make the sweet spot of where we are going to go.”
Mr Bonin said he wants Whole Foods Market to hit locations it wasn’t previously able to when it launched in the UK in 2004.
He added: “The dent we make will continue to be through developing the range further. The combination of strong brands, right location, right amount of service and right amount of self service.
“The multiples are the multiples. Whatever comparison folks make to M&S and Waitrose, we see a spot for us in that mix. We know customers will shop all three of us and what it is they are finding here is what we continue to refine.”
The more upmarket grocer has strived to lower prices by making cuts and launching promotions such as “Weekday Deal”, which allowed customers to get money off different products on different days of the week.
Despite Mr Bonin’s big ambitions, Whole Foods Market has struggled in the UK market due to competition from more well established brands such as M&S and Waitrose.
In March 2024, it closed its Richmond and Fullham stores and Dartford Distribution centre, and its most recent accounts reveal a pre-tax loss of £23.1 million.
However, the new expansion plans aim to change this, starting with the King’s Road store, which features coffee and pizza counters, and a blend-your-own nut butter station.
The 22,000 square ft unit also has a beauty hall and a counter to collect Amazon packages.
