SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 22, 2011) — The first newly built Whole Foods Market in Utah —Trolley Square — will open its doors March 14, 2011, as an anchor in Trolley Square at 500 South and 700 East. With a commitment to offering quality organic and all-natural products, partnering with local vendors and supporting community nonprofits, the store will feature something for everyone in Salt Lake City. The new store is 42,000 square feet, will employ 205 team members (adding 69 new jobs to the Salt Lake area), and will feature several food venues never seen before in a Utah Whole Foods Market.
Salt Lake residents are invited to attend the pre-opening tours and official opening celebration:
- Sneak Peek tours, March 10 and 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; visitors should sign up in advance at the store’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wfmtrolleysqr starting February 25.
- Official opening, March 14 at 9:00 a.m., with a bread breaking and opening ceremony to award youth arts education and mentoring organization Bad Dog Arts with $5,000 for the creation of a tile mural on the store’s outside patio wall by their local student artists. The student artists will be present to accept the donation.
“The Trolley Square store was built from the ground up as a Whole Foods Market and specifically for the Salt Lake community,” said Randy Bradshaw, Trolley Square store team leader. “Our other stores in the area were converted, so we were limited with design. We think the community will really enjoy the unique features and new food stations.”
New food venues catering to quick, convenient lunches and meals will include an Asian wok station, burrito bar, sandwich bar, fresh oven-baked pizza bar, gelato bar, expanded salad bar and hot bar with chef-inspired recipes.
The Trolley Square store will continue the Whole Foods Market tradition of regularly supporting local nonprofits to give back to and be closely involved with the community. On March 22 the store’s 5% Day will benefit Ballet West’s I CAN DO program, which introduces local students to the arts and encourages them to stay in school. The I CAN DO dancers will perform in the store followed by an autograph signing from the Ballet West dancers from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Five percent of the store’s sales will be donated that day.
The store will also feature rotating local artwork with the first installation by Salt Lake City-based Bad Dog Arts, which provides programs for youth ages 5-18 by creating a safe space to engage in highly creative activities.
Supporting local vendors, farmers and ranchers is a core value of Whole Foods Market. The Trolley Square store will sell products from at least 55 local businesses, including Beehive Cheese, Bumble and Bee, Cox Honeyland, Shepherd’s Dairy and Tom’s Gourmet Foods. The store plans to expand that list and additionally, the Company aims to help them grow their businesses through the Local Producer Loan Program. The store has already committed to selling exclusive products from City Cakes, Ruby Snap and Blossom Fine Foods. There will be a local vendor fair on March 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the store where residents will have the chance to meet local producers and sample their products.
Whole Foods Market Trolley Square was built with numerous green practices and materials and will be undergoing a “Green Globes” certification process later this month. Green Globes (www.thegbi.org) is an online rating and assessment system for eco-friendly design and operating functions. The building will operate efficiently to save energy where possible and offset 100 percent of actual energy use with wind energy credits.
Salt Lake residents can stay in touch with store opening celebrations and giveaways through the store’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wfmtrolleysqr.
