Whole Foods Market is incredibly excited to announce our newest store location in Michigan, which will be located at John R. and Mack in Midtown, Detroit. We are looking forward to being a part of the Detroit community and all the wonderful things that are happening in the city of Detroit.
Whole Foods Market currently operates five stores in Michigan. We have locations in West Bloomfield, Troy, Rochester Hills and two stores in Ann Arbor. We are excited to open a store in Detroit and become part of the Detroit community.
There have been many dedicated people working towards this new development for several years, and it is because of their hard work and commitment to Detroit that we are able to open the store in Midtown. We have enjoyed working with the city of Detroit, the DEGC, Midtown Detroit, Inc., the MEDC, Detroit Eastern Market, The Greening of Detroit, and many others. We are committed to continuing to work with these organizations as well as to developing and growing additional relationships with various organizations in Detroit.
Where will the store be located? The Midtown Detroit store will be located on the northwest corner of Mack Avenue and John R.
How large will the store be? The specific size of this new store has not been finalized yet, but we expect it to be approximately 20,000 square feet.
When will the store open? We do not have an opening date set. It generally takes at least 18-24 months from the time a new location is announced before we are ready to open the doors. While there are many factors that affect the date of a store opening, such as weather delays, we’re hoping to open doors by spring 2013.
How many jobs will this create? Although we are still working out the details of how many Team Members we will hire for the new Midtown Detroit store, we expect to hire between 50-60 new Team Members for this store.
When will hiring for the Midtown store begin? Hiring typically takes place starting six months prior to opening. Those interested in joining the team should check back here in the months ahead or email our Detroit Community Liaison for more information at amanda.musilli@wholefoods.com.
Who should media contact? Please direct all media inquiries to Kate Klotz at kate.klotz@wholefoods.com.
What makes Whole Foods Market special? Whole Foods Market is the world’s largest natural and organic grocery store. We number over 53,000 team members and are glad to report that our idealism and commitment to our core values are as strong as ever. We are a publicly held company and have to make a profit to survive in the marketplace, but we’ve proven that a company can do good and do well if the doing comes from the heart. Luckily, our success helps us bring about change in the marketplace, which we hope will lead to good things for you and us and the planet. Would you like to visit one of our stores to see for yourself? We are currently offering tours of our West Bloomfield location for people interested in visiting and learning more. If you want to join one of these tours, please contact our Detroit Community Liaison at amanda.musilli@wholefoods.com.
Will I be able to buy local products made in Detroit and Michigan? Absolutely. We are always anxious to expand our local partnerships. Each new store opening allows us to help more local artisans to build their own businesses. We look forward to offering a wide range of local products ranging from Avalon baked goods, McClure’s pickles, Garden Fresh salsa and chips along with a great selection of seasonal Michigan produce. If you are a local producer of a product in the state of Michigan, the first step is to ensure your product meets our Quality Standards. If you find that it does, please contact amanda.musilli@wholefoods.com and we will be in touch.
How does Whole Foods Market plan to support the Detroit community? Whole Foods Market has a number of ways in which we support the communities where we have stores. We strive to develop partnerships with local organizations, and build support for them all year long. We are looking for organizations to develop partnerships with in the Detroit community. If you would like to discuss this with us, please contact amanda.musilli@wholefoods.com.
Will you be hosting any more of the community dialog sessions? Yes, we plan to host additional community dialog sessions to get your feedback on what you hope to see in our store, as well as to get some suggestions on décor, product selection and in-store activities you’d like to see. Our next community dialog sessions are scheduled for August 16th, September 15th, October 6th and October 27th. If you are interested in joining this conversation and would like details on time and location, please contact our Detroit Community Liaison at amanda.musilli@wholefoods.com.
We look forward to serving the Detroit community and being part of the fresh and organic food offerings available to the community. We look forward to serving you, working with you and joining the neighborhood.
Source: The Whole Foods Market Midtown Detroit Team
