The six-store expansion of Whole Foods Market in the UK, announced Thursday, marks a new era for the Amazon-owned health food grocery retailer and could be a boon for upstart food and beverage companies.
Known for its rigorous quality standards that ban more than 550 ingredients in food, beverage, body care and household cleaning products, the Austin, Texas-based grocer also has a reputation for helping new food and beverage companies get their products on store shelves.
Five of the six new locations will occupy former Amazon Fresh grocery stores, which closed in late 2025. The closure of 19 Amazon Fresh locations in the UK was followed by the closure of 58 Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go locations in the US in early 2026.
Amazon said in late January that the closure of the two banners was not a retreat from grocery. Instead, the retail giant said it would open more than 100 Whole Foods Market locations over the next few years.
What does it mean for CPG?
The expansion of Whole Foods Market locations is good news for healthy food and beverage startup companies because of the grocer’s longtime commitment to promoting relatively unknown brands.
“Whole Foods has arguably been the single largest catalyst and incubator for emerging and early-stage brands, providing young brands an opportunity for shelf space within a nationally recognized, multi-store retailer,” Kelli Masilun, former vice president of Brand Development at CPG marketing firm Concentric, wrote in a Forbes opinion piece shortly after Amazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017.
Food and beverage manufacturers worried at the time that the $13.7 billion acquisition would mean the end of Whole Foods’ partnerships with smaller brands.
That fear appears to have not played out, as Whole Foods created a formal program for innovative brands in 2022 with the launch of its Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP). Participants undergo a 12-week training program to be considered for placement at a Whole Foods location in their home city or area, the grocer said in 2024.
Whole Foods said the program, which is only available to US retailers, maintains the company’s “core value of creating win-win partnerships and its longstanding support of local and emerging suppliers by creating mentorship opportunities for cohort participants with Whole Foods Market experts accompanied by months of tailored educational programming.”
The launch of LEAP was followed by a second business accelerator in 2023 known as On the Verge, a mentoring program for emerging suppliers with products available in Whole Foods stores that demonstrate growth potential.
Whole Foods’ UK expansion
Whole Foods released addresses and opening dates for the six new locations later this year:
- Angel, The Mall, 359 Upper Street, The Angel, London N1 0PD, April 2
- Liverpool Street, Unit 4b-5, Blomfield Street, London EC2M 7BD, April 23
- Notting Hill Gate, 66-74 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3HT, May 14
- Wood Wharf, 4 Water Street, Wood Wharf, London, E14 5GX, May 28
- Monument, Unit 1, 20 Gracechurch Street London EC3V 0BG, June 4
- St. James, 57 Victoria Street, London SW1P 2HX, June 11
The St. James location is the only store not taking the place of a former Amazon Fresh, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed. Amazon declined to comment on Whole Foods locations planned for the US.
The six new stores will range in size from 3,300 to 10,000 square feet and will resemble the grocer’s Daily Shop formats, which began opening in New York City in 2024, the company said. That’s a fraction of the 40,000-square-foot footprint of a typical Whole Foods store.
What’s in it for UK CPG?
Whole Foods is taking a similar approach with the new UK stores, noting in the press release that each would feature “new and exclusive products,” such as Vidrate Mojito Electrolyte Sachet, Karma Kombucha Mojito Ginger Beer, Mojo Mate Original, Passionfruit and Açai Blueberry Iced Tea & Coffee, White Box Whiskey Sour and Walker Wodehouse Mexican Lager.
While Whole Foods has offered the LEAP program in the US only, an Amazon spokesperson noted that the UK launched a 2026 Brand Pitch Day event for new brands that will be held quarterly.
The event is a “speed-dating” format, where brands are given 15 minutes to pitch their products to the company’s buyers at Whole Foods’ central London office. The deadline to register for consideration in the Q2 round of pitches is March 27.
“We’ll be looking for specific brands and products and will advise what these are but will include brands that are completely new to the UK market and not stocked in other larger retailers (but you can be stocked in Whole Foods Market in the US). We also will favor local brands and suppliers who produce in London or England,” the company said.
Whole Foods will consider products for any section of the store including grocery, wellness and beauty, beer, wine, spirits, cheese, charcuterie, deli, prepared foods, bakery, produce, meat and seafood.
