Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, is coming to Virginia Beach. The lease was announced during the third quarter earnings conference call by John Mackey and Walter Robb, co-chief executive officers yesterday.
“Virginia Beach is excited once again to be the first in the market to announce the much anticipated plan to build a Whole Foods Market store in our city.” said Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. “Whole Foods Market is a leader in the expanding natural and organic foods business. The Whole Foods Market brand has been built on consistently selling the highest quality natural and organic food products and maintaining high standards of quality, customer service and community involvement. The fact that we have attracted one of the most coveted retailers in the country to our community validates our strategy for growth and sustainability.”
Whole Foods Market recently signed a lease with S.J. Collins Enterprises for the construction of a 40,000 square-foot store at the former Saturn Dealership along Laskin Road in the Hilltop section of Virginia Beach.
“The Whole Foods Market is the perfect complement to the upscale retail and restaurant experience in the Hilltop area.” said Warren D. Harris, Director of Virginia Beach Economic Development. “We worked for over a year with the Whole Foods Market and their development team to pull together a redevelopment plan for their preferred site on Laskin Road. I can’t think of a better fit for our community than the Whole Foods Market.”
Scheduled to open by year-end 2013, the new Virginia Beach Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the region. In keeping with Whole Foods Market’s national initiative to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the Virginia Beach facility will feature many green building standards.
The mission of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development is to attract and retain national and international business and industry that results in the creation of new capital investment and jobs that increase the per capita income in the community. The City of Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia with a population of 434,000 and is the 42nd largest city in the United States. Virginia Beach has been recognized as having one of the 10 best economic development groups in the nation by Site Selection magazine. In 2006, Virginia Beach was named one of the 10 best big cities in America by Money magazine. In 2008, the Department of Economic Development received re-accreditation through the International Economic Development Council, one of only 25 economic development organizations in the world to have this recognition. In 2010, the Department won an Award of Excellence for its marketing efforts from the International Economic Development Council. For more information, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com.
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