Whole Foods Market will open its new 47,000 square-foot Richmond store, located at 2024 West Broad Street, at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30. As part of the opening day celebrations, guests can enjoy complimentary coffee, pastries from local suppliers and music before the store opens. The first 200 customers will receive a custom Whole Foods Market Richmond reusable tote bag, as well as a savings card with a mystery value ranging between $5 and $100.
Built-in the location of the former Pleasants Hardware, Whole Foods Market incorporated the original brick façade, wooden beams and other elements of the historic Kaufman building into the interior design of the store.
“We are excited to welcome the Richmond community to their new Whole Foods Market,” said Bill Balderson, Store Team Leader. “With a variety of high-quality products, items local to Virginia and many prepared food options located on the first floor, paired with a self-serve eatery and taproom on the second, we’re confident our neighbors will enjoy eating and shopping with us.”
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, as well as over 100 colors, flavors and preservatives commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 100 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads.
Special features of the store will include:
• Fresh produce department offering a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables, including offerings from local growers and a range of items with Whole Foods Market’s Whole Trade® Guarantee, which supports suppliers that are committed to ethical trade, working conditions, and the environment.
• Full-service butcher featuring in-house made sausages, dry-aged offerings and bone broth-making kits, as well as selections from local suppliers such as lamb and grass-fed beef.
• Seafood department offering fresh and frozen seafood, including locally sourced crab meat, clams, oysters and smoked fish, with all offerings either sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed.
• Specialty foods section featuring a variety of cheeses, including options from 10 local suppliers, overseen by an in-store American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional who can offer expertise and recommendations for any request or occasion.
• Hundreds of different beers and wines, many from local producers.
Bakery department offering an array of made-in-house bread, cakes, and pastries, as well as items for special diets and offerings from local suppliers.
• Prepared foods section offering a salad bar, 13 seasonally rotating soups, pizza, sushi and build-your-own mezze bowls featuring a variety of Mediterranean flavors and toppings.
• Bulk section offering more than 150 items including nuts, seeds, granola, grains, dried fruit, and candy.
Beauty, body care and home goods section offering products from local suppliers.
• Nearly 1,000 products throughout the store from about 150 local suppliers, some of which are new to Whole Foods Market or are recipients of Whole Foods Market’s Local Producer Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans to local producers to help grow their businesses.
The Richmond store will also feature a self-serve eatery and taproom on the mezzanine level, offering a variety of pub-style food, indoor and outdoor seating for over 150 guests and self-serve wine and beer that customers are invited to drink while shopping in the store.
Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, like deep discounts on dozens of select popular products each week and an additional 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items. In addition, eligible Prime members receive 5% back on Whole Foods Market purchases when using the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card.
To celebrate joining the community, 5% of the store’s net sales on Thursday, Feb. 6 will benefit Tricycle Urban Ag Culture, a local nonprofit organization on a mission to grow a healthy future through urban agriculture.
Whole Foods Market Richmond will employ approximately 165 full and part-time team members. Following the grand opening, the store will be open from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.
Whole Foods Market has one other store in the area, with the first being its Short Pump location in Glen Allen, Va.
Source: Wholefoods Market
