365 by Whole Foods Market

365 by Whole Foods Market

File:365 WFM Logo (highres).png
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail groceries
Founded	June 2015 (2015-06)
Defunct	c. Template:End date and age
Fate	Converted to Whole Foods or shuttered
Headquarters	Austin, Texas , U.S.
Number of locations	12 (December 2018)
Parent	Whole Foods Market
Website	Last archived site
Footnotes / references

365 By Whole Foods Market was a chain of organic grocery stores launched by Whole Foods Market in 2016 and discontinued in 2019 following the acquisition of its parent company by Amazon. This brand emerged as a response to the higher price points at Whole Foods compared to traditional supermarkets such as Kroger and Albertsons offering similar organic products.

History

In June 2015, Whole Foods Market revealed plans for a new, more affordable store format named "365 By Whole Foods Market," targeting millennial shoppers. The stores incorporated digital pricing tags and relied on a smartphone app for in-store communication. They aimed for a zero waste model by donating surplus food, utilizing LED lighting, and implementing refrigeration systems powered by carbon dioxide. Jeff Turnas served as the division’s president.

To reduce expenses, customers were encouraged to remove bulkier goods directly from pallets. Certain products like produce were priced individually rather than by weight. For weighted items, shoppers weighed, labeled with barcodes, and tagged them prior to checkout. Unlike traditional Whole Foods locations, the 365 stores featured a customer rewards program.

File:Whole Foods 365 Pumpkin solids.jpg

Private label brand from 365 by Whole Foods Market

The inaugural 365 By Whole Foods Market store debuted in May 2016 in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. This was followed two months later by a second store in Lake Oswego, Oregon, then a third opened two months later in Bellevue, Washington. In April 2017, the chain expanded with a fourth location in Cedar Park, Texas. A fifth store launched in August 2017 within Santa Monica, California. The sixth location became operational in September 2017 in Akron, Ohio. In December of that year, the seventh outlet was inaugurated in Concord, California. January 2018 saw an eighth establishment open its doors in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. The ninth location launched in April 2018 within Long Beach, California, followed by a tenth shop opening one month later in Upland, California. An eleventh store began operations during August 2018 within Houston’s Independence Heights. Finally, December of that year witnessed simultaneous openings of the twelfth and thirteenth outlets located in Atlanta's Buckhead district and Decatur, Georgia.

There were intentions to establish five more locations across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, and Florida.

By early July of 2017, as many as twenty-two stores branded under the "365" concept were at different construction phases; however, most projects stalled following reports of Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods. At that time there was uncertainty concerning if or when these developments would proceed.<ref name="ct‑17jul07"></ ref >< ref name ="fd ‑17jul11" > </ ref > < ref name ="cbj ‑17jul10" > </ ref > As part of the merger with Amazon, several ongoing construction projects for "3... " stores were canceled. Subsequently in January of the following year Fresh Thyme Farmers Market announced plans to occupy the halted construction site at College Mall located in Bloomington, Indiana for their second area location.< ref name ="bht ‑18jan09" > </ ref > That same month saw Los Alamitos city officials announce abandonment of a retail development originally anchored by a planned "3..." outlet.< ref name ="ocr ‑18jan11" > </ ref >

A reporter from The Motley Fool described these new grocery formats as resembling "a hybrid of fruit stand, convenience shop and eatery rather than conventional supermarkets."< ref name ="tmf ‑16jun01" > </ ref > Meanwhile a journalist writing for MarketWatch labeled them "hipster hotspots," highlighting their reliance on advanced technology as a means for cost reduction and operational efficiency.< ref name ="mw ‑15jul31" > </ ref > While most feedback was favorable overall some patrons expressed missing personal interaction when ordering food via tablets.< ref name ="kpcc ‑16may27" > </ ref >

In January of 2019 it was declared that the "3..." concept would be discontinued though existing outlets would continue operating.< ref > </ ref > The subsequent month brought announcements that all remaining "3..." locations would be rebranded as standard Whole Foods stores before year-end.< ref > </ ref >< ref > </ ref >

Private label brand

Even though the brief-lived retail chain no longer exists, the name 365 by Whole Foods Market continues to be utilized by Whole Foods as a private label for affordable food products available at both Whole Foods stores and Amazon.

External links

• Archived version of the site (2019-08-19)