Whole Foods Market confirms first Manatee County location in Bradenton. What to know
A new player to the Manatee County grocery scene is coming to the Bradenton area.
Whole Foods Market plans a store in the Market Place at Heritage Harbour shopping center.
The shopping center, on the northeast corner of Interstate 75 and State Road 64, is also home to a Costco store. A 150,000-square-foot Target store is also planned there.
“We can confirm this store is in development. We do not have any additional information to share at this time,” a Whole Foods communications specialist said in an email.
Whole Foods Market started in Austin, Texas, in 1980 with an emphasis on natural and organic foods, sustainable agriculture and high quality standards.
There are now more than 500 retail and non-retail locations in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
Whole Foods announces Bradenton grocery store
Currently, the closest Whole Foods Market to Manatee County is a store in 40,000 square feet of space at 5298 University Parkway in Sarasota County.
When the store opened in 2018, it was one of the first under the ownership of Amazon.
At its opening, the University Parkway store employed a staff of approximately 180. It was the second Whole Foods Market in Sarasota County. The first is at 1451 First Street, Sarasota.
Whole Foods Market also plans to open a store on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 201 38th Ave. N., St, Petersburg.
Features of the new St. Pete store include a full-service seafood counter, specialty cheese department, a full-service meat counter, more than 180 craft beers, prepared foods department featuring pizza, in-house charcuterie, sushi, hot food and salad bars, bakery and an assortment of wellness and beauty items.
“All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous Quality Standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 300 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food,” according to the company web page.
“In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 240 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads,” the company said.
The Market Place at Heritage Harbour shopping center is experiencing major growth. Costco opened there in August 2019. Followed by Miller’s Ale House in November. The shopping center is being developed by Piscataway, New Jersey-based Edgewood Properties.
The concept plan map on Edgewood web page also shows that leases are pending there for a 62,996-square-foot sporting goods store, a 55,000-square-foot arts and crafts store, a 3,900-square-foot breakfast/brunch cafe, a 2,800-square-foot Chinese restaurant, a 7,182-square-foot restaurant/wine bar and a 5,400-square-foot casual steakhouse.
