Food & Drink

Whole Foods to Open 365 Concept Store in Bellevue

Whole Foods' new concept offers convenience and lower prices for on-the-go shoppers

By Kasee Bailey June 15, 2016

A rendering of the 365 whole foods market.

These days, it requires more—or perhaps lessto get a person to grocery shop. 

Whole Foods is another of the grocery chains aiming to compete with the success of millennial-minded markets like Trader Joe’s or Aldi. To do so, the company is introducing its organic, health food grocery shopping experience in a new way.

Coming to Bellevue Square in September is its new concept store, 365 by Whole Foods Market. 365 is a smaller-format store with a lower price point, aimed at offering shoppers simplicity of choice and the convenience of an in-and-out format. The Austin, Texas-based grocery chain opened its first 365 concept in Silver Lake, Calif., in May of this year; the Bellevue store will be 365’s third location.

Expect a downsized floorplan of around 30,000 square feet, much smaller than the traditional Whole Foods footprint, which is nearly double that size.

The new stores are also designed to help streamline your shopping trips.

“All aspects of the store, from design elements to how it’s staffed, are oriented to help customers get in and out efficiently,” says Jeff Turnas, president of 365 by Whole Foods Market. “For example, shelves are human height so you can see clear across the store to plan your trip, there’s a smaller product selection—but the same quality standards—and meats come pre-portioned and ready to go.”

That smaller selection of products will include its more affordable, private-label 365 products, and a new Friends of 365 program, which features business partnerships that include trendy food and drink concepts inside the store (think: vegan restaurants and custom tea kiosks) appealing to millennial shoppers. According to the Whole Foods Market Newsroom, Bellevue’s first Friend of 365 partner will be Seattle-based Wild Ginger Kitchen.

The new concept, Turnas notes, is “an experimental approach to traditional grocery shopping that’s curated for convenience and value.”

The 365 by Whole Foods Market enters Bellevue in a era of expansion, growth that includes a new hotel, streetfront dining, high-rise residences and an additional 175,000 square feet of retail space in Bellevue Square.

“Downtown Bellevue is rapidly expanding, and we think both new and veteran residents will appreciate an easy and convenient shopping experience,” Turnas says. “Additionally, the unique concept will be accessible to a very broad geography because of the Bellevue Collection’s regional popularity. The Collection’s guests will be able to add a grocery shop to the end of their trip, all without having to find a new parking spot.”

Currently there are no plans for additional 365 stores in the Seattle area.

 

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