There are 83.1 million Millennials in the U.S.—and Whole Foods Market wants them to buy groceries, visit the barber, and even get tattooed at one of their stores.
According to Bloomberg, the organic supermarket chain hopes to attract young shoppers by adding a host of third-party vendors to their brand-new 365 by Whole Foods Market stores (which, by the way, will also be smaller and less expensive). The program is called Friends of 365, and it will offer customers services they can’t normally get at Whole Foods Market—or any other grocery store, for that matter.
“Friends of 365 may be any type of business—from food and drinks to fashion, body care products, services, and more. (Record shop? Tattoo parlor? Maybe!) And each 365 store may have a different mix of friends. The more variety, the merrier!" the company says on its website. Bottom line? If you’ve ever wanted to simultaneously shop for a new bike and organic quinoa or get your knives sharpened while enjoying a quick coffee, you'll soon have your chance.
Whole Foods recently signed five more leases for 365 by Whole Foods Market stores, rounding out the current total to 13. They’ll soon be available in Evergreen Park, Illinois; Gainesville, Florida; Bellevue, Washington; Cincinnati, Ohio; Houston and Cedar Park, Texas; Lake Oswego, Oregon (just outside Portland); and in several California locations, including San Francisco, Santa Monica, Concord, and Claremont. Three stores will launch in 2016, and the remaining 10 will open their doors in 2017.
While People reports that the first outpost isn't slated to open until May, the vendors will reportedly be announced by February 28. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the hybrid establishment if you live in Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood: The first 365 by Whole Foods will soon grace a storefront near you.