Whole Foods Market opened its first new U.K. location since 2014 on March 25 at 120 King’s Road, SW3 in the Chelsea area of London.
“I am thrilled to open the doors of our first Whole Foods Market in the U.K. in more than 10 years here on King’s Road, an iconic street and London destination that is continuously evolving,” said Bianca Rojas, store team leader.
“This store showcases the best of Whole Foods Market and what our customers have come to expect from our stores with fresh, high-quality foods, a strong focus on local producers and innovative product discovery on every aisle.”
Whole Foods Market has more than 535 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, with nearly 90 stores in the pipeline.
The retailer continues to expand its real estate footprint. In 2024, it announced and opened a new store format, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a convenient shopping experience with the same offerings of a traditional-sized store.
Opening day
On opening day, customers enjoyed complimentary samples from local suppliers, freshly baked goods and giveaways. The first 200 shoppers in line received a limited-edition King’s Road Whole Foods Market tote bag and a Secret Saver voucher with exclusive discounts.
The grocer made an opening-day food donation to The Felix Project, helping advance the nonprofit’s mission to redistribute food to where it’s needed most.
Whole Foods Market’s partnerships with local organizations help address food insecurity and reduce food waste, reinforcing its mission and support sustainable food systems.
In addition, the company donated funds to community-based organizations in the Chelsea area, including HTB Chelsea Shelter, Refettorio Feliz, the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation and Bags of Taste.
[RELATED: Whole Foods Market Opens New Location In Doylestown, PA]
Store features
Features of the new King’s Road store include:
- Full-service seafood counter featuring only sustainable wild-caught or responsibly-farmed seafood and a large selection of ready-to-cook seafood. Local seafood options with fresh catches four days per week including dover sole and Shetland scallops;
- An array of certified organic and conventional fresh produce;
- Speciality department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers. The cheese counter is overseen by trained cheesemongers;
- Curated grocery section filled with exclusives from local products across more than 80 brands;
- Full-service meat counter, with butchers available to cut steaks and poultry to order;
- Extensive selection of more than 400 wines, and a range of local beers including an exclusive from Battersea based Mondo Brewing and a new and exclusive to Whole Foods Market King’s Road rosé wine from Mirabeau; and
- A prepared foods department, full-service coffee bar, bakery department offering fresh bread daily as well as everyday favorites and a Wellness & Beauty department with a large assortment of items, including an assortment of local products.
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 300 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food.
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.
