Whole Foods Market could include tattoo parlors and other vendors who appeal to millennials and budget-conscious shoppers in its newly branded "365 stores," according to
Bloomberg Business.
The in-store vendors are being tagged as "Friends of 365."
The Whole Foods "365 (as in days) stores" are scheduled to start opening in a handful of locations this year and were created to offer lower prices on the company's popular natural and organic products, said the
Whole Foods website.
On its separate
"Friends of 365" website, Whole Foods has put out a call for independent vendors to join the stores.
"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," said the website. "The more variety, the merrier."
Some of the first 365 stores will be in Bellevue, Washington; Santa Monica, California; Portland, Oregon, and Houston. Additional stores are also planned in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, San Francisco and the Austin suburb of Cedar Park, Texas.
"There's a number of smaller-store competitors out there that are doing a nice job," Walter Robb, Whole Foods Market's co-chief executive officer, told Bloomberg. "We don't see any reason why we can't go participate in that part of the market as well with our 365 by Whole Foods offer – it's going to be unique."
USA Today said the new store concept comes in response to Whole Foods' recent loss in market share as other grocery store chains provide alternatives in the organic, fresh and natural foods.
Maxim magazine suggested Whole Foods think outside the box to attract millennials: "Can an organic weed dispensary be far behind?"
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