Whole Foods Market opens its latest store in central London today, Tuesday 22nd May, in Glasshouse Street, Piccadilly Circus. The store, a relocation of the existing Soho store, places Whole Foods Market at the heart of London’s best shopping district and will offer a one-stop shop brimming with the highest quality, all-natural foods shoppers can find.
The store will be the latest opening after Giffnock (Glasgow) opened in 2011 and joins its other London stores at Kensington, Clapham, Stoke Newington and Camden. The company has further plans to open stores in Cheltenham, Fulham and Richmond in 2012/ 2013. In Piccadilly Circus Whole Foods Market will create around 70 new team member roles as well as relocating 70 existing team members from the Soho store including the store team leader, Larry Hadley.
Whole Foods Market designs each store from scratch and in doing so it reflects the dynamic nature of the central London community which it serves. Customers will find an enlarged greengrocers, bakery, grocery section, speciality department and upstairs, a new health and beauty section alongside a 40 seat café.
Jeff Turnas, Regional President for Whole Foods Market UK said “We’re delighted with our new Piccadilly Circus store. Our Soho store has had a loyal following over many years and this new location allows us to expand our offer and show our central London shoppers the most convenient, highest quality, all-natural grocery store in town.”
The store has an enlarged health and beauty department upstairs with a comprehensive range of nutrition supplements as well as a range of high-performance all-natural beauty brands. The new treatment room will offer all natural facials and manicures. Customers will also find the new ‘Exclusive’ line of products here including Studio 78 - a make-up range from Paris.
Whole Foods Market is proud to support local producers and nurture win-win relationships with our suppliers such as Neals Yard Dairy going back over 20 years. The new Piccadilly Circus store showcases 500 UK producers and 34 of them are from within a 60 mile radius. Furthermore 300 products in store are from within the M25 – under ten miles from the store. Examples of our commitment to sourcing locally are St John bakery providing specialist breads and pastry; coffee will come from the Monmouth Coffee company at Borough Market at Cat and the Cream Bakery from Battersea are supplying vegan, wheat and soya free cupcakes – the most delicious in town.
Besides being able to do regular food shop, customers will find the in-house chefs at Piccadilly Circus have launched a ‘sandwich revolution’ which banishes the everyday, ordinary sarnie and replaces it with sandwiches and wraps to rock lunchtimes as never before. The ‘Piccadilly Piccalilly’ and the ‘Hail Caesar Wrap’ await.
For an afternoon pick- me-up, delicious decorated cupcakes sold singly or in batches of 12 make them perfect for office get-togethers. For dinner, the store showcases a range of freshly prepared meat and fish and customers will also be to choose from a range of ready prepared meals. The salad bar has been revolutionised at Piccadilly Circus and it is the first Whole Foods Market store in the UK to showcase the ‘Greens, Grains and Beans’ bar which will give shoppers the option to have thousands of different combinations in their ‘bowls of wonder’.
Finally, finishing touches to dinner can be found in the new speciality food department. Here an outstanding array of more than 30 British and 70 European cheeses, charcuterie and fine wines, beers, and sparkling wines priced from £5.99 can be picked up on the way home from work.
Source: EON eon.businesswire.com