Whole Foods Market, the US natural and organic grocer, is to revive plans to expand in UK after a recovery of sales in its US business.
The company, founded by John Mackey, is looking for locations roughly half the size of its flagship UK store in London’s Kensington High Street, which covers about 75,000sq ft.
Walter Robb, co-president, told The Financial Times: “We want to build more stores in London, it’s a fabulous city. It’s harder to find real estate but we have some stuff there and we’re working on it.”
Whole Foods said last month that there had been a double-digit comparable sales improvement in the most recent quarter at its Kensington store, although it was still operating at a loss. Sales were also improving at Fresh & Wild, a six-strong business it bought in the UK for £21m in 2004.
Last year the group established a UK region, led by Jeff Turnas, previously head of a store region on the East Coast of America that included Boston and New York.
In the US, the company – which had pulled it its horns on expansion – has reporting rising sales, with a 2.5% rise in same store revenue figures in the quarter to 17 January, 2010, in spire of food price deflation.
The group’s London flagship, which opened in a former department store in 2007, has almost an entire floor devoted to foodservice, featuring several restaurants and a pub.
