Whole Foods Market will open its new store in Richmond, South West London, on Tuesday 8th October 2013 at 10 a.m. The store at 1-3 Lower George Street will be its eighth UK store and sixth London store.
Located over two levels, it will be overseen by Store Team Leader Larry Hadley who previously ran Whole Foods Market’s Piccadilly Circus store.
The site was chosen by Whole Foods Market because it offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase Whole Foods Market in a part of London where residents, visitors and tourists alike demand high quality, all natural food, drink and beauty products. Whole Foods Market has created 120 new roles in the new store the majority of which are full-time.
Store Team Leader Larry Hadley said “We are extremely excited to be opening here in Richmond upon Thames. We have a beautiful new store which will be a great place to shop as well as to bring your friends and family to enjoy great food and drink. If Health and Beauty is what you are shopping for then we have that too!”
“Richmond is a fantastic Borough with a close knit community. We have created 120 new jobs for local people and we’ve had brilliant support locally. We trust that will continue in the years to come.”
Cllr Gareth Evans, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Community, Business and Culture, said:“We are delighted that Whole Foods Market chose Richmond to open their latest store. They are a welcome addition to the High Street and the new jobs they have created will give local residents new opportunities. We look forward to working together in the years to come.”
Launch day: Shoppers at the launch will be treated to free samples and tasters, music, face painting for children and tours of the store. The fun and festivities will continue throughout the opening week and weekend.
Local school children will also be selling their home made jams and chutneys as part of Whole Foods Market’s ‘Schools to Market day’.
Local foods: Seeking out the best local foods is just one of the things that make Whole Foods Market different. In Richmond three local companies from within the borough are supplying the store:
• Richmond honey – Fiona Dickson’s honey in nine different variants harvested from hives by the Thames
• Riverside Honey – Small batch honey made in Richmond
• Cookie Crumbles – Cookie mixes for children by family friendly company based in Mortlake
A further 400 products that Whole Foods Market will sell in Richmond come from within London and the ‘home counties’.
In store: On the ground floor shoppers will be able to pick up freshly baked bread, cakes and their favourite patisserie treats and either choose to stay and eat them at the café with some freshly brewed tea or coffee or to take home.
For breakfast, lunch or dinner shoppers can choose from an all –embracing range of hot and cold foods to take home or eat in the café. Mostly all made right there in store, shoppers can choose from the ‘mexi cue’ bar showcasing Mexican favourites with meltingly soft barbeque flavoured meats – right on trend. Freshly squeezed juices; hand rolled fresh sushi; fresh sandwiches and wraps; a deli counter featuring dishes you can simply take home and heat up and handmade pizza available by the slice will all be ready to go.
Downstairs the ‘market’ comes alive with everyday essentials. Customers will find fresh fruit and vegetables; a butchers counter; Richmond High Street’s only fresh fish counter; a fine cheese, charcuterie and speciality foods section and a ‘Cook’ section offering everything you need to perfect your favourite recipes – herbs, varieties of rice, pulses, spice and other condiments all available loose so you only pay for you what you need. In ‘Cook’ shoppers can also make their own peanut, almond hazelnut butters –delicious on hot toast on an autumn morning.
Artisan, local beers, wines and spirits are also available downstairs.
Those who follow specialist, vegetarian or vegan diets will be well catered for as you’d expect from a brand known as being a ‘haven’ for gluten, dairy, wheat and other allergen free foods.
Parking and Delivery: Customers spending over £25 in store will immediately qualify for 2 hours free parking at the nearby Paradise Car Park. Shoppers will also benefit from a free same day delivery service when they spend over £100.
Local community Hub: In Richmond the store will initially support five local charities which will each receive 1percent of the sales generated on opening day. The charities are:
• Vineyard Church
• Poppy Appeal – Royal British Legion
• Orange Tree Theatre
• Home Start
• Avenue Club – Kew
On the opening day representatives from all five charities will be present at the store helping to raise more money.
Also on opening day 10 local school children who won Whole Foods Market’s ‘Great Plates’ competition will get to see their artwork displayed on plates on the wall in the store. Organised by local Richmond charity School Food Matters, on behalf of Whole Foods Market’s ‘Whole Kids Foundation’, the plates will be a permanent piece of decor. Chosen from over 700 entries, the theme reflected in the artwork is “Things I can grow and eat” and the judges included local MP Zac Goldsmith and local chef Paul Merrett.
The winners are: Tabitha Ellis (11 years) from Lowther Primary School, Arjan Singh (5 years) from Chase Bridge Primary School, Barnaby Honeywill (10 years) from Radnor House, Michael Collier (15 years) from Clarendon School, Lucie Doggett (6 years) and Caitlin Petson (8 years) from Bishop Perrin CE Primary School, Rose Saied (9 years), Dixie Liddell (8 years), Isaac Barton (8 years) and Lauren Lauchlan (9 years) from Hampton Junior School.
Each winner will see their designs made into real plates and featured in store as a piece of permanent decoration. In addition Carlisle Infant School, Hampton Junior School, Bishop Perrin CE Primary School and Clarendon School have been awarded a prize of a year’s supply of organic fruit and vegetable plants for their school’s allotment for submitting the most entries.
In addition to the ‘Great Plates’ competition Whole Foods Market has also been working with local schools in Richmond on the ‘Schools to Market’ project. Funded by the Whole Kids Foundation – Whole Foods Market’s own charitable foundation – the project has, over six months, supplied local Richmond schools with plants to sow in order to grow fruit and vegetables. This produce has been harvested by the children and with the help of local chef, Paul Merrett, the children learnt how to make jam and chutneys. On the opening day of the new store their jams and chutneys will be sold by the children in store and the schools will receive all the profits.
And finally…
The store will be open from 10am on Tuesday 8th October and its regular opening hours will be from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 9pm on Saturdays and 12 noon to 6pm on Sundays
Whole Foods Market press office contact: Alex Tunney 0207 368 6139 or alex.tunney@wholefoods.com/ uk.publicrelations@wholefoods.com
