AUSTIN, Texas (March 3, 2004) Whole Foods Market® (NASDAQ: WFMI), the world's largest natural and organic foods supermarket, today opens its newest store, creating nearly 200 new jobs in Colorado Springs, Colo. Located at Academy & Briargate streets, Whole Foods Market provides area residents with an extensive selection and variety of the freshest, highest quality foods combined with extraordinary customer service.
“Our number one goal is to provide the community with great tasting, fresh foods that meet Whole Foods Market's quality standards. We believe food in its purest state — free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives, and hydrogenated oils — is the best tasting. Our team members are excited to help shoppers explore delicious, natural foods,” said Leonard Chabiel, store team leader. “At Whole Foods Market, we guarantee 100 percent customer satisfaction. We go to great lengths to satisfy and delight our customers.”
Colorado Springs' newest store features one of the largest selections of fresh seafood in the city. In addition, shoppers will discover: a selection of cheeses from around the world; more than 30 varieties of olives, roasted peppers, and other delicacies from the antipasto bar; an in-store coffee roaster; nearly 600 varieties of bulk items; and a heated outdoor patio. The prepared foods section will feature a rotisserie, a hearth pizza oven, a handmade burrito bar, and two salad bars in addition to entrées and side dishes prepared fresh every day. Fresh soups — from clam chowder to cheesy broccoli soup — will be served at stations in seafood and meat departments, and eight varieties are available in prepared foods. Additionally, Colorado's own Glacier Ice Cream will have an on-site ice cream shop, offering more than 25 varieties of homemade, super-premium ice creams, frozen yogurts, and sorbets.
The new Whole Foods Market also contains a Whole Body department featuring a vast array of including vitamins, supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies, cosmetics, and natural body care products. Customers can trust that all of these products have been proven safe using non-animal testing methods. As part of the grand opening festivities, Store Team Leader Leonard Chabiel and his team untied a large bow gracing the store's front entrance at 10:00 a.m.
Honoring the company's corporate philosophy of “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet,” all Whole Foods Market stores host Community Giving Days periodically within the year, whereby a nonprofit organization receives a percentage of the day's sales. The new Colorado Springs store will hold a Community Giving Day on Saturday, March 6 to benefit the Care & Share Food Bank.
“At Whole Foods Market, we believe passionately in supporting the communities we serve,” said Laura Zappi, store marketing director. “We will be partnering with many nonprofit groups and schools in Colorado Springs, helping to maintain the sense of community, friendship, and enthusiasm that exists here.”
