Whole Foods Market® (NASDAQ: WFMI) with Pappas Properties and The Allen Tate Co. announced plans for a new store in Charlotte, N.C., opening in 2012.
The newest store for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy approximately 42,000 square feet of retail space in the first phase of the mixed-use Ashley Park development, which is located at the intersection of Fairview and Sharon Roads in the SouthPark area of Charlotte.
Whole Foods Market's presence in North Carolina already includes stores in Asheville, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem, with plans for additional stores opening in North Raleigh in 2011 and Greensboro in 2012. The Charlotte store will break ground in spring 2011 on the Ashley Park site, which is zoned and ready for development, with a targeted opening date of spring 2012.
“Charlotte is a great fit for Whole Foods Market, and adding Charlotte to our growing map of Southeastern store locations is a goal we have worked hard to achieve,” said Scott Allshouse, regional president for Whole Foods Market. “The SouthPark area is an exciting opportunity for us to make our entry into the Charlotte market. We're confident Whole Foods Market will become the destination of choice for Charlotte's food community and a favorite gathering place for the city's many great professional and home chefs.”
“Whole Foods Market is the ideal lead tenant for Ashley Park, and will set the perfect tone for the entire development,” said Peter Pappas, president of Pappas Properties. “Our co-developer, Allen Tate, and I considered several options for the first phase of this project and we’re pleased Whole Foods Market has selected Ashley Park as the site for its first store in Charlotte.”
The site has been designed with convenient parking for the exclusive use of Whole Foods Market customers, which befits the premium shopping experience of the franchise. The store will feature 146 below-ground and 57 surface parking spaces and will be accessible through the new traffic signal on Sharon Road as well as directly from Fairview Road.
Pappas added, “Bill Moseley of Moseley Real Estate Advisors was very instrumental in bringing the two parties together and we want to thank him for his diligence and efforts through the process.”
Whole Foods Market features a fresh and enticing selection of natural foods in their purest state, free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives as well as hydrogenated fats. Whole Foods Market offers shoppers the highest quality, best-tasting and freshest foods in an inviting setting. Each store is unique and is designed to meet the needs of the neighborhoods where we live and work. Combine the great-tasting food with outstanding customer service and the result is a pleasantly atypical grocery shopping experience.
