Whole Foods Market to open first St. Pete store in late February
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 31, 2024

Whole Foods Market will open its first St. Petersburg store on Feb. 28.

The specialty grocer said Wednesday that it drew inspiration from St. Pete's nickname, the Sunshine City, for the store's sunshine-themed decor.

The 40,100-square-foot store near St. Pete's Old Northeast neighborhood is the product of a retail redevelopment. It is a smaller store than the Whole Foods that opened in 2021 in Midtown Tampa; that location is 48,000 square feet.

The St. Pete store features a full-service seafood counter, a specialty cheese department and more than 180 craft beers — 50 of which are from local breweries.

Whole Foods will open at 9 a.m. with promotions throughout the day, including a limited-edition tote bag for the first 300 customers in line. The St. Pete store will feature more than 800 items sourced from throughout the Southeast.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods was acquired by e-commerce behemoth Amazon.com in 2017.