One of Whole Foods Market’s new bodegalike concepts will open in Williamsburg later this year, the building’s landlords confirmed to Crain’s Wednesday.
The Amazon-owned supermarket chain debuted what it’s calling a daily shop on the Upper East Side in September — the first of its kind from the Austin-headquartered company that’s otherwise known for its massive, multilevel grocery stores. Two others are slated to open in Manhattan later this spring.
Whole Foods announced last year that the new stores would range in size between 7,000 and 14,000 square feet, and cater to city dwellers looking to pick up a grab-and-go meal or last-minute dinner ingredient. The shops also offer seasonal produce, meat and seafood.
Whole Foods inked a 10,707-square-foot lease to occupy the ground-floor retail space of 774 Grand St., said Dean Marchi, the property manager and one of the owners of the 8-story, mixed-use building at the corner of Humboldt Street.
Marchi, CEO and founder of Grand Street Development, told Crain’s that he and his business partners are shooting for a fall opening date, and Whole Foods signed a 12-year lease with some options for renewal, but he declined to share how much the company is paying per square foot. The average retail rent in the area ranges from about $47 to $77 per square foot, according to CoStar.
“We’re very, very happy with the deal,” said Marchi, who co-owns the building with New Jersey-based real estate company the Kamson Corp.
Called the Brooklyn Grand and completed in 2016, the building is composed of 64 rental apartments on the upper floors and one retail unit, which is currently vacant but will soon be occupied by the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. All of the apartments are occupied, said Marchi.
Nick Masson, senior vice president of retail at TSCG, which is headquartered in Atlanta, helped broker the deal on behalf of the landlord. TSCG represented the tenant as well, according to Marchi.
The first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop location opened in September at 1175 Third Ave. on the Upper East Side. Another, at 409 E. 14th St. in the East Village’s StuyTown development, is slated to open May 14, and a third in Manhattan, at 301 W. 50th St. in Hell’s Kitchen, is scheduled to debut June 4. The Williamsburg location would be the brand’s fourth to open, and the fifth is slated for Hoboken, New Jersey, although an opening date has not yet been announced, according to the company.
