Whole Foods to Open Bodega-Like Grocery in Williamsburg

Whole Foods Market is expanding its less-than-whole-sized markets with plans to open a bodega-like grocery in Brooklyn.

The Amazon-owned grocer leased a 10,700-square-foot storefront at 774 Grand Street, in Williamsburg, Crain’s New York Business reported.

The new concept, dubbed the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, will open this fall and operate as a grab-and-go market. While not technically a bodega — those are defined as having less than 4,000 square feet — these new shops are much smaller than Whole Foods Markets, which are between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet.

Financial terms of the lease with Dean Marchi and New Jersey-based Kamson, owners of the eight-story mixed-use building, were not disclosed. The deal, brokered by Nick Masson of TSCG, includes a 12-year lease with options for renewal.

Whole Foods announced last year that the new stores would range in size between 7,000 and 14,000 square feet, and cater to urban residents looking to pick up a grab-and-go meal or last-minute dinner ingredient. The shops also sell seasonal produce, meat and seafood.

In September, Whole Foods opened a similar storefront at 1175 Third Avenue, on the Upper East Side, according to Crain’s.

On May 14, the chain, known for its organic (and pricey) foodstuffs, will open another one at 409 East 14th Street. On June 4, it plans to open a third bodega-like store at 301 West 50th Street, in Hell’s Kitchen.

The Williamsburg store, its first outside of Manhattan, would be followed by a fifth store slated for Hoboken, New Jersey, whose opening date was not announced.

Amazon ramps up these urban grocers a few years after it began backpedaling on the expansion of another small-format concept: Amazon Go convenience stores.

What’s not clear: why Amazon Go stores never took root, but the Whole Foods’ Daily Shops will. This comes after another Amazon grocery expansion, Amazon Fresh, also languished.

Amazon’s brick-and-mortar sales have grown each year since 2021, propelled by Whole Foods Market, which Amazon bought in 2017 for $13.5 billion. In the fourth quarter, net sales from Amazon’s brick-and-mortar holdings hit nearly $5.8 billion, up from $5.2 billion in the previous period, according to financial filings. Figures from last quarter will be announced May 1.

— Dana Bartholomew