Whole Foods Market has confirmed the opening dates of six new stores in London, in a move that will double its UK footprint when all have opened by the summer.
It marks the first major UK expansion of the Amazon-owned chain, after it opened its first British store for more than a decade on Kings Road in London last year, and will take Whole Foods’ UK footprint to 12 stores.
The rollout will also see the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop store format brought overseas for the first time, having launched the new smaller urban format in New York in 2024.
Five of the new stores are in locations formerly occupied by Amazon Fresh, previously confirmed when Amazon announced the closure of all of Just Walk Out stores in September 2025. The sixth is a brand-new store in St James in Westminster, London, previously revealed by The Grocer.
The rollout will begin on 2 April, with the opening of Whole Foods Market in Angel. It will be followed by Liverpool Street, on 23 April; Notting Hill Gate on 14 May; Wood Wharf on 28 May and Monument on 4 June. St James will complete the openings on 11 June.
“We’re happy to be expanding Whole Foods Market’s physical store presence in the UK, allowing us to reach more customers with our uncompromising quality standards and carefully curated selection of natural and organic products,” said Jason Buechel, vice president of Amazon’s worldwide grocery stores and Whole Foods Market CEO.
“Each new store represents an opportunity to bring responsibly sourced, high-quality food to more communities who share our values of nourishing people and the planet.”
The locations vary in size between 3,300 and 10,000 sq ft.
Each will be fitted out with a bakery department, speciality cheese area and beauty ‘hall’. They will stock Whole Foods’ range of organic and conventional groceries, as well as an increased selection of prepared and grab and go lines.
Amazon has struggled to crack UK retail
Despite being one the USA’s largest grocers, and having been acquired by Amazon in 2017, Whole Foods Market has struggled in the UK, where its premium offer faces more competition from the likes of Planet Organic, Waitrose and M&S. It has racked up more than £200m in losses since launching into the UK 2004.
The retailer has sought to make its offer more competitive by rolling out 141 “UK favourite” cupboard staples to its shelves in March 2024, and through three separate rounds of price cuts.
In March 2024, it shuttered its Richmond and Chelsea stores, as well as a Dartford-based distribution centre, in a move it said would “pave the way for future growth” in the UK. It later revealed it was on the hunt for an unspecified number of new locations across the country as part of renewed growth plans.
“We are thrilled to bring Whole Foods Market to more neighbourhoods in London,” said Jade Hoai, Whole Foods UK executive leader of operations.
“We look forward to opening our doors to these wonderful communities, and to providing great customer service and an excellent product assortment that meets our high quality standards.”
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