Whole Foods Market® to Open in Lynnwood on March 15

LYNNWOOD, Wash., March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Whole Foods Market is thrilled to announce its arrival in the Lynnwood community with its newest Puget Sound store, set to open at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 15 with festivities and a bread breaking ceremony starting at 8 a.m. Lynnwood Mayor Don Gough and members of the Snohomish County Economic Alliance will join Whole Foods Market store leadership to cut the traditional eight-foot long sourdough bread and welcome shoppers into the store.

Located at 2800 196th Street SW, in the former Circuit City building near Alderwood Mall, the new store will feature a wide range of local products from farms like Sherman's Pioneer Farm and Willie Green's Organic Farm and producers such as CB's Nuts and Mirracole Morsels.

"We designed our first Snohomish County store to cater specifically to the families and residents of this community, from the strong focus on back-to-basics cooking for all budgets to the first dedicated Kid's Club area in the region," said Whole Foods Market Regional President Joe Rogoff. "We hope this store will become a community gathering place, and a destination for high quality, affordable food with a focus on local, healthy, organic and fresh."

The first 100 visitors to the store on Thursday, March 15 will receive a free baguette to symbolize the bread breaking as well as a reusable shopping bag. Grand opening festivities will also include music from the Lynnwood High School band, free coffee and breakfast, and samples all day from over 15 vendors including local companies Mighty-O Donuts, Whidbey Island Ice Cream and Lagana Pasta.

On Saturday, March 17, Whole Foods Market will host a community celebration from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The "Whole Family Celebration" will feature live music by local trio The Wiretappers, vendor demonstrations, hands-on kids' activities and participation from local community organizations including PAWS, the Imagine Children's Museum and the University of Washington's Dubs' Club.

The store emphasizes a commitment to green practices and environmentally friendly construction, from the LED lighting to the locally sourced, reclaimed Douglas Fir wood visible throughout. The Lynnwood store is the first Whole Foods Market in the Pacific Northwest to use Glycol as a refrigerant, reducing the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) produced by the store.

From March 19 to April 15, the store will host a food drive benefiting the Lynnwood Food Bank. Customers can donate non-perishable items in the dropbox near customer service, with all donations going directly to the food bank.

Some of the highlights that Snohomish County Whole Foods Market shoppers can look forward to enjoying include:

• Cooking Department – Lynnwood's one-stop cooking resource highlighting fresh, locally-sourced foods and information on recipes for families of all sizes. The Cooking Department offers the building blocks to make a great meal, including an array of spices, culinary herbs, gourmet salts, cookbooks and kitchen tools. Single-ingredient items take center stage with a carefully curated selection of heirloom beans, hard-to-find grains, fresh nuts and seeds, flavorful dried fruits and much more.
• Prepared Foods – An array of healthful and tasty lunch options will be available on a daily basis, including hearth-baked pizza, a taqueria, panini sandwiches, a rotating hot bar featuring ethnic and seasonal fare, a fresh salad bar featuring an abundant selection of organic vegetables and freshly prepared deli items. A "Healthy Eating Venue" focusing on "Beans, Greens and Grains" will showcase prepared meals that follow the guidelines of their Health Starts Here program. More at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere/.
• Children's Play Area – The Lynnwood store is the first Whole Foods Market in the Pacific Northwest to have a dedicated Kid's Club area featuring toys and a seating area for parents.
• Wine, Beer and Cider – The store features an expanded selection of hard cider, as well as beer from local breweries and wine from producers throughout Washington.
• Kids Club – Healthy snacks like fresh fruit and boxed raisins will be available for kids under 12. The store will offer Kids Club events on Saturdays at 2 p.m. throughout the year, focusing on activities like cooking, gardening and recycling.
• Coffee Bar – The store will serve fresh-brewed coffee daily from Allegro® and stock beans from Lynnwood-based El Portal Coffee Roasters, along with beans from Northwest roasters including Middlefork Roasters and Stumptown, as well as Herbal Republic tea and Miro Teas.
• Meat – The meat department featuring the best-tasting, freshest and highest quality meat available that is carefully raised without antibiotics or added growth hormones, as well as handmade sausage and a professional butcher who can prepare any cut to order.
• Seafood – A vast array of fresh and frozen selections, as well as all the marinades, sauces, seasonings and herbs to complete a meal with seafood as the centerpiece. Whole Foods Market's seafood standards lead the industry, and the store also offers a selection of seafood products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
• Artisan Bakery – featuring Whole Foods Market Artisan Hearth Breads (made with organic flour) baked fresh daily and an array of delectable items from local bakeries such as Tall Grass Bakery, Grand Central Bakery, Terra Breads, Essential Bakery and Flying Apron.  For those looking for Gluten-Free items, the store will carry a wide selection of wheat-free and gluten-free products.
• Nut Butters – A grind-your-own almond and peanut butter station.
• Store Tours - The store will offer shopping tours tailored to special diets including plant-based diets, food allergies and healthy eating for back-to-school as well how to shop on a budget. Private tours can be arranged by request for organizations like schools and senior centers. These tours will kick off Tuesday, March 20 at 6pm with a free "Whole Deal Value Tour" focusing on the 365 Everyday Value® line.
• Whole Foods Market 5% Days — four times a year, Whole Foods Market sets aside a day on which 5 percent of the day's net sales is contributed to a local 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The first 5% Day will be March 28, 2012 for Comfort the Children.

Store Information

Hours: Open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., coffee bar opens at 7 a.m. daily.

Location: 2800 196th Street SW, Lynnwood, WA 98036

Telephone: 425-775-1320

Web site: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/lynnwood

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketLynnwood

Twitter: www.twitter.com/WFMLynnwood 

About Whole Foods Market^®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 64,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 315 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

SOURCE Whole Foods Market