Plans for 365 by Whole Foods Take Shape

LOS ANGELES — Whole Foods plans to open its first 365 by Whole Foods Market location in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood on May 25. 

The store will feature a curated mix of products that adhere to Whole Foods' quality standards in an environment that is fun and convenient for shoppers, the company said.

The 365 store format is geared toward millennial shoppers and is designed to complement the Whole Foods Market brand by bringing fresh, healthy food to a broader audience with a streamlined, quality-meets-value shopping experience, as CSNews Online previously reported.

The Silver Lake location will host several Friends of 365 through partnerships with vegan restaurant by CHLOE., Allegro Coffee Co. and teaBOT, a new retail platform that provides custom grab-and-go tea in less than 30 seconds. 

Friends of 365 provides an opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs that align with Whole Foods' mission and standard to establish their own independent retail spaces within the 365 by Whole Foods Market stores.

Allegro will offer a craft brew bar that serves hot coffee, cold beer and a selection of food items, while teaBOT will install an efficient self-serve kiosk that lets customers personalize their tea by mixing up to three of 18 different teas and herbal ingredients. 

by CHLOE. will offer a diverse menu of plant-based foods, including burgers, salads, market specials, pastas and sweets that can be eaten in the restaurant, at a communal dine-in experience elsewhere in the store, or taken to go.

Along with its retail partnerships, the Silver Lake store will feature hand-picked product selections from Whole Foods Market's 365 Everyday Value brand products as well as select local and branded products.

To provide shoppers with additional convenience, 365 by Whole Foods Market stores will offer online ordering and delivery services through Instacart.

Sustainable casual goods purveyor Loomstate will provide custom design team member apparel for the 365 stores.

Although Whole Foods has not released details about specific upcoming 365 locations, city records for the chain's upcoming Lake Oswego, Ore., store show that it will devote considerable space to perishable food products and will likely give preference to pre-labeled and pre-packaged meat. It is also likely to support innovative technology through the use of Instacart and the placement of four preferred parking spots for electric cars, according to William Kirk, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets.

"We believe 365 is the appropriate vehicle to recruit incremental customers," Kirk said.

Two additional 365 by Whole Foods Market locations are scheduled to open this year in Bellevue, Wash., and Portland, Ore. Up to 10 stores are expected to open in 2017.