Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market®
Hold onto your reusable grocery bags, folks. Whole Foods is coming to Richmond. And I mean, really and truly right here, within the city limits. Today, the company announced that its newest store in our area will be located on West Broad Street, near Pleasants Hardware and the C.F. Sauer factory. That’s no coincidence: The property is owned and will be developed by Sauer Properties.
According to Whole Foods’ news release, “The new Whole Foods Market store will be part of The Sauer Center, an urban mixed-use development consisting of new and historic buildings on West Broad Street and Hermitage Road,” says Bradford B. Sauer, vice president of Sauer Properties, Inc., the developer of the project.
Urban growth is part of Whole Foods’ strategy for the future and the long-rumored location is a good fit. “Richmond, particularly the Broad Street area, has such a vibrant, unique energy – from historic neighborhoods to stimulating museums, from dynamic residents to creative students — and this new site will allow Whole Foods Market to grow within the city while continuing to strengthen our established relationships,” says Scott Allshouse, Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic regional president.
No opening date has been set yet, nor has the company released the exact address.
Shane Parr, who works in real estate for Sauer Properties, was quoted by Virginia Business magazine in November as saying the company owns about 40 acres in the surrounding area. The article reported Sauer's purchase of 6 acres along North Meadow Street, as well as the acquisition of the former Virginia Department of Transportation building at 2220 W. Broad St.
