Whole Foods is set to open a new location on the Upper East Side.
The natural and organic supermarket has inked a long-term deal for a 39,000-square-foot space at 1551 Third Avenue. The store will span three stories that consist of a lower level, first and second floor.
“We’ve been looking for the right store since [Whole Foods has] been in the New York market for about ten years,” said Jacqueline Klinger of SCG Realty. “The Upper East Side is an important market area.”
“1551 Third Avenue is destined to become a thriving new location for Whole Foods’ first Upper East Side store thanks to the area’s dense population base,” said Gary Alterman, an executive vice president of RKF and broker on the deal, in a prepared statement. “As one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city, there is a great deal of pent-up demand for upscale grocers on the Upper East Side and Whole Foods’ arrival will likely attract more prominent retailers to the Third Avenue corridor north of 86th Street.”
The Upper East Side deal came in an announcement with a new location in Harlem, located on 125th and Lenox Avenue, as well. The stores are slated to open in early 2014 and summer of 2015, respectively.
Chase Welles of SCG Retail joined his colleague Jacqueline Klinger in representing Whole Foods. Gary Alterman of RKF represented the landlord, Milstein Properties.
The Commercial Observer reached out to Whole Foods for a comment on future expansion in the city but a representative could not be reached before publication.
