Whole Foods Market® (Nasdaq: WFMI), the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket, today opens its flagship United Kingdom store in Central London. The landmark 80,000-square-foot store is the first Whole Foods Market in Europe and marks a major step in expanding the company's brand beyond North America. Whole Foods Market currently operates 189 stores in the United States and Canada, as well as five Fresh & Wild shops in the UK.

"Whole Foods Market is committed to the goal of being the finest food shop in every community we serve, and our new London store will offer a fresh, vibrant choice," said John Mackey, Whole Foods Market CEO and co-founder. "We want our shoppers to celebrate the joys of eating and living well. We hope Whole Foods Market will continue to prompt change in the way people think about and shop for food."

What sets Whole Foods Market apart is its long-standing commitment to its stringent quality standards. The grocer only offers the highest quality natural and organic foods - all free of artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, preservatives and hydrogenated fats.
The new store, opening at 10 a.m. following a bread-breaking ceremony, is spread across three floors within the historic Barkers building on High Street Kensington. Restored and updated, yet retaining its unique art deco styling, the space has been transformed to offer a fresh and distinctive approach to the UK grocery shopping experience with excellent customer service, food sampling and prepared foods selections mingling with thousands of fresh, organic and all natural ingredients. A vibrant food hall on the top floor features 13 dining venues with seating for more than 350 diners.

Over its nearly 27 year history, Whole Foods Market has helped to revolutionize the way Americans eat and think about food. Not only has the company worked since its founding to promote natural and organic foods, it is a leader in supporting small, local food artisans. With its store-based buying program, every Whole Foods Market store tailors itself to its community by seeking out and offering as many local culinary treasures as possible.

"Our Fresh & Wild stores have long been a part of the food community in London, and we have developed long-term, fruitful relationships with local growers and producers. The result is an exciting and plentiful array of organic and UK-grown food in an environment where we are eagerly waiting to satisfy and delight our shoppers," said Rick Bonin, executive store team leader at Whole Foods Market in London.

In the new store, many products are sourced from inside the UK. As with all Whole Foods Market stores, the new London store meets the company's rigorous standards for customer service and food quality. More than 500 Team Members have joined the company at the new location to share their passion for food and customer service.

"We have skilled butchers, scratch bakers and even our own store artists! We also have fishmongers, chefs, cheese artisans and knowledgeable Team Members handcrafting fresh foods right in front of our shoppers. We work to make food shopping fun because we believe food should be celebrated," Bonin said. -Whole Foods