Whole Foods Expands International Footprint With First UK Location in 10 Years

Whole Foods is continuing to expand its footprint, opening up its first location in the United Kingdom in 10 years.

Per a press release, the location will officially open on Tuesday, March 25. Located in the trendy King’s Road district, the new location will be in the heart of London, marking the first time the UK had a new location open since 2014.

“Whole Foods Market has roots deeply planted in the U.K., and we are thrilled to be bringing more natural and organic food to this market with the opening of our new King’s Road store this March,” said Vice President of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores and Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel in a statement accompanying the press release. “Continuing our expansion outside of the U.S. enables us to extend our reach to more customers while advancing our higher purpose to nourish people and the planet.”

The popular retailer currently operates more than 535 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, with roughly 90 more on the way. The retailer continues to innovate and grow its real estate portfolio.

Whole Foods ‘Daily Shop’ Concept in Other Big Cities

In 2024, the supermarket announced and debuted a new store model, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, a quick-shop format meant to supply clients in urban neighborhoods with the same fresh, high-quality goods as a traditional-sized Whole Foods Market location.

With plans to expand the concept to other urban neighborhoods, the Amazon-owned grocery chain opened its first Daily Shop mini-market on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in December.

The 9,100-square-foot store in New York City is around one-fourth the size of a regular Whole Foods and sells similarly priced items.

The Daily Shop sites are part of a larger movement by supermarkets to transfer operations into smaller buildings in an effort to attract “fill-in shoppers,” or customers who visit the store regularly but buy fewer items.

This type of shopping is becoming increasingly popular. Shoppers spent less time per visit but made 11% more trips to food stores between October 2023 and October 2024 than in 2019.

“We’re serving a previously unmet need in the neighborhood,” Nicole Davia, a Whole Foods senior vice president, said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal at the time.