The business remains as committed as ever to growing its store footprint even as online grocery sales continue to surge.
In a release outlining its recent progress and growth strategies, the Amazon-owned natural and organics grocery store retailer said it has nearly 40 new stores in the pipeline. The company said that through its 2020 new store openings, it reached about 1.4 million additional people within a 10-mile radius of its US stores. The openings include two new concepts: an online-only location in Brooklyn, New York, and Ideal Market in Denver.
The grocer is also broadening its product portfolio. It launched 950 new local brands, 10,000 local items and 650 new exclusive brands in 2020. More are planned for this year. In addition, the retailer will transition its technology organisation to focus more on skills required for software engineering and technical product and program manager roles.
“This shift will allow us to build new internal capabilities, further differentiate our customer offerings, and rapidly develop tools for our business and customers at the speed of retail,” Whole Foods stated.
