Whole Foods

[diesel]

If it was Visa/Mastercard it's a violation of the merchant agreement. American Express allows a minimum purchase limit.

Yeah its a TFCU Visa Debit card. Good to know!!

[Pete]

Although the average WF's location is around 34,000 sq. ft. and this one will be 35,000, the average size for the newer stores has been about 44,000 sq. ft.

Still, that's a good-sized store -- the same exactly as one that was opened a couple of miles from me about two years ago. And it has lots of extras, including tons of prepared foods:

• Gelato bar
• Freshly roasted organic coffee beans
• Meat carving station for hot sandwiches
• Made-to-order sushi
• Pizza Oven
• Ice cream cakes
• On-site bakery
• Build your own burrito bar
• Noodle and Teriyaki Bowls
• Rotisserie chicken station
• Italian kitchen
• More than 30 feet of food and salad bars
• No artificial flavors, additives, preservatives or colors
• Largest selection of fresh locally grown organic produce
• Fresh seafood delivered six days a week
• Organic and free range poultry, antibiotic, hormone-free
• Hormone and antibiotic free American and New Zealand natural beef that is 90–99% fat free
• More than 250 different kinds of artisan cheeses
• Olive bar featuring varieties from around the world
• Extensive wine and beer selections; including organic wines
• Dry-aged beef
• Ready-to-eat prepared foods that are healthy and delicious
• Organic and additive-free frozen foods
• Organic and kosher European artisan hearth-style breads baked fresh daily
• Ethnic cuisine from the deli, prepared fresh daily
• Dairy products, both organic and conventional
• Bulk foods including granolas, nuts and pastas
• Four Whole Foods brands: 365, 365 Organic, Whole Kids Organic, Authentic Food Artisan (AFA)
• Unique selection of plants and flowers
• Beauty and body care products including bulk herbs
• Dietary supplements
• Environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Natural pet food

Let the speculation begin on what else will go into that new development. I would expect more, larger stores as there is still plenty of space in Classen Curve, it's just all small bays.

[onthestrip]

I wonder what that is going to do to Forward Foods on Western? I would imagine they are going to sell basically the same things as Whole Foods?? And I am sure that they will not have a credit card limit like Forward Foods on Western has. I do not carry cash and so trying to buy something simple like a drink, I was rejected saying that they have a $4.00 limit on credit/debit cards. I though that was illegal?

I say carry around some cash or just dont shop there. I think its always a good idea to have a little cash on hand in case of emergency.

[SkyWestOKC]

Plastic don't work when the power is out or a computer is down.

[mugofbeer]

The one at The Streets of Southglenn development near my Denver house is of the 44,000 sq foot variety and it is enormous. 35,000 would certainly make it on par with the building size of a Buy-4-Less, if not bigger. For OKC, it will see luxurious.

[Swake2]

I wonder what that is going to do to Forward Foods on Western? I would imagine they are going to sell basically the same things as Whole Foods?? And I am sure that they will not have a credit card limit like Forward Foods on Western has. I do not carry cash and so trying to buy something simple like a drink, I was rejected saying that they have a $4.00 limit on credit/debit cards. I though that was illegal?

Forward Foods will likely be fine, Tulsa has two other upscale small grocers within a mile of Whole Foods, Center One Market and Allen's and they both seem to be doing fine.

As for size, it's hard to tell about the Tulsa Store, it's such an odd shape since they expanded. I would still guess it to be under 40,000 square feet. It's not a large store.

[betts]

The shopping area in Tulsa in which Whole Foods is located is a total of 63,646 square feet. Venture Properties | Prime Commercial Retial Locations | Tulsa, Oklahoma

[OKCisOK4me]

Seems awfully small but who cares. IT'S A WHOLE FOODS!!

[circuitboard]

The shopping area in Tulsa in which Whole Foods is located is a total of 63,646 square feet. Venture Properties | Prime Commercial Retial Locations | Tulsa, Oklahoma

Wow, so the OKC store will be more than half the size of the whole shopping center that the Tulsa one is in.. Sweet!

[diesel]

Plastic don't work when the power is out or a computer is down.

You know I was thinking the same thing right when I posted that. As much as we depend on plastic (debit or credit), I think the redundancy of our banking networks are pretty robust since I have never had an issue ever. Knock on wood..

[circuitboard]

The Dallas parklane location is 64000sq ft but it has wine and beer. So that might make a difference, hope we get a wine store next to wholefoods.

[BorisYeltsin]

could they put a whole foods wine and beer store in a separate bldg right next to it to skirt the archaic liquor laws?

[Kerry]

Plastic don't work when the power is out or a computer is down.

Cash doesn't work either when the power goes out. The first thing retailers do is make everyone leave the store.

[SkyWestOKC]

Cash will go further in an emergency (think 2-3 day power outage) than a piece of plastic. Not to try and change the subject or anything.

[BoulderSooner]

Plastic don't work when the power is out or a computer is down.

actually it does most stores and restaurants have the old school credit card slide machine

[Proud Daddy]

According to the Wal-Mart Stores website, a typical Neighborhood Market is 42,000 sq. ft if that gives you any kind of idea concerning size. That's a pretty fair amount of space, so I don't think we will be disappointed that our Whole Foods will be too small. I have been to Whole Foods in NYC and LA and yes they are big and awesome, but we have to start somewhere! I can't wait to spend my first dollar there.

[Spartan]

Forward Foods will likely be fine, Tulsa has two other upscale small grocers within a mile of Whole Foods, Center One Market and Allen's and they both seem to be doing fine.

As for size, it's hard to tell about the Tulsa Store, it's such an odd shape since they expanded. I would still guess it to be under 40,000 square feet. It's not a large store.

Not to mention Petty's in Utica Square..some of my relatives drive in from Bixby to shop there.

I take 35,000 sf to be fairly small for a Whole Foods, so I'm guessing they still don't expect a lot of productivity out of the OKC store? That's good, because the lower their expectations are, the higher they'll be exceeded in OKC, and the sooner we might get a second store in Norman or Downtown, but more likely..Norman.

[betts]

If there isn't a liquor addition to the building, that will decrease square footage requirements somewhat, so perhaps that's the reason.

[Spartan]

On another note, notice in the press release how it talks about "the next phase of development that Chesapeake is involved in." That to me is the REAL nugget of info, Chesapeake confirming that there is a greater scheme that this project is a part of, to the NORTH of Classen Curve. Hopefully it will resemble more of a sustainable development, since developers typically phase themselves into sustainability when they're pioneering. Such as UNP..strip mall first, lifestyle center portion proposed a thousand years later. I see something similar to that stair-step evolution going on here, with the difference being that it is actually happening unlike anything else in OKC.

[Oil Capital]

Also does anyone know what is the size of the Tulsa store??

Don't know the size of the Tulsa store, other than it is obviously smaller than the OKC store will be. The press release included this item: "the new Oklahoma City Whole Foods Market will be the largest natural and organic supermarket in the state."

[bluedogok]

Yeah its a TFCU Visa Debit card. Good to know!!

Debit cards are murky waters, not all the Visa/MC rules apply to debit cards.

You know I was thinking the same thing right when I posted that. As much as we depend on plastic (debit or credit), I think the redundancy of our banking networks are pretty robust since I have never had an issue ever. Knock on wood..

I worked retail in the days when we were first trying to move the the manual card machines to the phone in/swipe machines and they worked rarely. So I am still a bit skittish on trusting them entirely. I was at a place a few weeks ago that lost their internet, which means they lost their VOIP and connection to process credit cards but I was still able to get lunch with cash. There are also many places outside of the cities which do not take cash, most of those places ar in the Hill Country where I ride motorcycles so I am used to it. I know the Original Salt Lick in Driftwood doesn't take cards, like some other like that they have an ATM machine in the entry.

I take 35,000 sf to be fairly small for a Whole Foods, so I'm guessing they still don't expect a lot of productivity out of the OKC store? That's good, because the lower their expectations are, the higher they'll be exceeded in OKC, and the sooner we might get a second store in Norman or Downtown, but more likely..Norman.

They used to list store sizes on the store locations page, I guess they have taken those off the website. The HQ/Lamar location is 80,000 sf, I think the Gateway location is around 30,000, the planned Domain replacement store was supposed to be around 70,000 sf, there is still not one in South Austin.

[HOT ROD]

Congratulations to OKC on finally having the official announcement of WF. I hope this leads to a plethora of additional upscale (and non-Oklahoma City existing) development so the city as a whole can have more options for residents and visitors.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the relative small size of the store. I agree with others that this is indicative to 1) more stores to open in the OKC metro provided this store gets swamped with people shopping (as is expected) and 2) with beer/wine excluded, this extra space probably was not required.

Although, it would have been nice if they could have built to the 'standard' 44,000 size in case laws are changed later, they could build a liquor/beer building next door (and I'd expect them to). As for the additional locations, I could see a downtown store in 5 years (similar or smaller size, more devoted to prepared/catored meals), a very large store in Norman and possibly Edmond, and in the long range a medium store in the west and east (take your pic on the suburb or if it is OKC).

Having smaller stores allows for more stores to be built in a city, which is nice as that encourages density in other areas of the city (a 'town center' effect) which is what OKC definitely needs to focus on. Also pay attention where it said, that Whole Foods stores try to cator to their local shopping market. .......

[fromdust]

The Dallas parklane location is 64000sq ft but it has wine and beer. So that might make a difference, hope we get a wine store next to wholefoods.

never been to a whole foods, but 29,000 sq ft difference between okc and parklane is huge. is the wine and beer section that big? cant be...

[scootinger]

I wonder what that is going to do to Forward Foods on Western?

I wouldn't be surprised if Whole Foods' opening might actually improve business for Forward Foods (as well as other nearby businesses). Whole Foods will probably attract a number of customers that have not shopped at organic/highend grocery stores in the past. You might see such customers going to local businesses like Forward Foods if they can manage to provide a higher quality of product or can offer products that WF doesn't. I recall reading about this sort of phenomenon happening with Starbucks & local coffee shops in some areas.

[mugofbeer]

I bet there are quite a number of people like myself who have shopped at Whole Foods for produce, fresh meat and fish and prepared foods but don't really buy the rest of what they sell. I'm not an organic nut but the items listed above seem superior to what you find at the other grocers in Denver. I could see Whole Foods being a help to the little market in Nichols Hills Plaza (I forget the name) on items other than meats and produce. Kamps is the store that may be badly hurt. They may want to look to move away from this store.