Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who just reclaimed his title as the "World's Richest Man," is now setting his sites on a much smaller target; New York City's bodegas.
Bezos, billionaire Amazon founder and owner of Whole Foods, recently announced plans to build on his empire by introducing smaller convenience-store-sized Whole Foods to the New York area.
The massive chain is taking necessary measures to catapult itself ahead of rival stores amid the nation's grocery wars. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is due to open its first location in the Upper East Side later this year, reported NY Eater.
Whole Foods currently boasts 20 stores around the city with its usual 40,000 square-foot, full-fledged grocery store. However, the new daily store will measure roughly 7,000 to 14,000 square feet. Its focus is mainly on takeout meals, prepared foods, seasonal produce, meat and seafood, bread, supplements, and alcohol.
More Whole Foods locations are expected to pop up in and around New York City. In 2019, the company soft-launched a 2,500-square-foot "bodega-like shop." The shops featured self-check-out kiosks and specialized in local products. Produce from Gotham Greens, breads from Balthazar, and other staple shops and restaurants are included in its variety. With the success of the bodega, Whole Foods acted on momentum, prompting a broader vision for the concept, reported Supermarket News.
Amazon bought Austin-based Whole Foods in 2017 and expanded the brand extensively nationwide. Today, there are over 500 locations in North America and the United Kingdom. The certified organic grocer from Austin, Texas, came to fruition in 1980.
HNGN has reached out to New York's Bodega and Small Business Group for comment.
