Whole Foods Market is coming to Doylestown Township, setting up its first Bucks County location in the Barn Plaza.

Brixmor Property Group, the leasing and development company which owns and operates the 237,681-square-foot shopping center, made the announcement on its Facebook page last month.

A Whole Foods spokesperson confirmed Thursday that a location in Doylestown is in development.

Starting with its first store in Austin, Tex. in 1980, the natural and organic food retailer has since expanded to more than 500 stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its nearest locations are in Spring House and Jenkintown.

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“Our research indicated a gap in grocery, particularly organic, in the market,” said Laura Parke-Carson, vice president of leasing for Brixmor Property Group. “Adding the first Whole Foods Market in Bucks County allows us to meet that community need while complementing the other retail, dining and services at Barn Plaza shopping center. We are encouraged by the community’s positive reaction to the announcement.”

Whole Foods will take a portion of the space currently occupied by Marshalls & HomeGoods at the center off Route 611, while Marshalls & HomeGoods is set to move into Cross Keys Place in Plumstead Township once its current lease term ends in early 2023.

Information about how quickly the space will be transformed and reopened as Whole Foods was not immediately available Thursday.

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The Barn Plaza is also home to Kohl’s, Regal Cinemas, Starbucks, Harmon Face Values, Pure Barre, Piccolo Trattoria, Gerhard’s Appliances, Tower Health Urgent Care and Applebee's, among other shops.

“We are pleased to welcome Whole Foods and pleased to see when one store moves out and another moves in because it shows the strength of the economics of this area,” said Stephanie Mason, Doylestown Township manager.

“It’s an anchor store for the shopping center and certainly Kohl’s and Marshall’s complemented each other well. So, making sure there’s still a strong anchor there is good to see,” she added.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Whole Foods Market to make Bucks County debut in Doylestown