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Whole Foods

June 24, 2025

RATINGS

Culture

Basic Service
Brand Immersion

Commerce

High Volume
Pure Showroom

About the Brand: Whole Foods started as a small store in Austin, Texas back in 1980. Now, it's the leading grocery chain in natural and organic foods, with 500+ stores in North America and the UK. Although the retailer is known for its larger formats, it is exploring smaller niche experiences that are more localized to different communities.

THE STORE AT A GLANCE

FORMAT:
Grocery Chain
LOCATION:
Hudson Yards, NYC
VISIT DATE:
Spring 2025
CULTURAL FEEL:
This is a more engaging and immersive grocery experience than other Whole Foods locations because there is significant localization for the NYC market in a much larger, two-level footprint. Although the store is obviously commerce driven, grocery itself almost seems secondary to unique offerings, hospitality services, and prepared foods sections.

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Gain access to the full Field Notes by subscribing to Future Commerce Plus and get:

  • High-level store details (including location, adjacent stores, competitors, and cultural feel)
  • Full store details and experiential analysis
  • The Senses Matrix, which identifies clear differentiators and whitespace opportunities
  • A Field Test breakdown of strategic questions to ask to guide your store experiences
  • An Artifact Archive full of images and videos from the experience