Port Chester Whole Foods Opens Tuesday with Healthy Discounts, Tastings and Treats

The sounds of hundreds of Whole Foods Market employees cheering during a “team member” rally competed with the final sounds of construction at the company’s 365th location in Port Chester during a press tour last Friday.

The store will open on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 8:30 a.m. with the company’s traditional celebratory bread breaking ceremony, samples, giveaways, and special offers. The first 365 customers arriving will receive a special edition Whole Foods Market Port Chester reusable tote and the store is offering a 25 percent discount on the company’s private label, 365 Everyday Value, line of products on opening day.

The special offers will extend beyond Port Chester, the first 100 customers to make a purchase of at least $10 at any Whole Foods in the country will receive a free 365 Everyday Value item handed out at the register.

If the sales and offers aren’t enough to get you to the store to check it out, buy something for the Carver Center -five percent of total sales from opening day will be donated to the Port Chester Carver Center, an example of the company’s commitment to working with the local community.

During the press tour Friday, employees hurriedly filled shelves, painted signs and put together the final displays at the new store, while Whole Foods’ public relations manager Michael Sinatra explained the company’s commitment to offering a value that shoppers will not find at other grocery stores.

In addition to the fresh produce and anti-biotic and hormone-free meat offerings, this new location has many unique features for shoppers to enjoy. To name a few: a waffle-making station; bagels and pizza baked in-house; a fresh fruit and vegetable juice bar; a growler station that features an exclusive Captain Lawrence Imperial Kolsch, which is a lighter style German Ale, as well as a huge walk-in freezer with a large selection of micro-brews; and Doughssants (part donut, part croissant).

The prepared foods section also includes Fire & Pollo, a wood-grilled, Latin-inspired chicken venue and a Chopped, Topped and Wrapped Salad station. The Grocery Department will have bulk frozen fruit and vegetables so shoppers can scoop their own frozen fruits and veggies for at-home smoothies. 

The meat department will offer in-house smoked meats and the seafood department will have a special select, seal and serve fresh meal solution kit.

The company is dedicated to offering an extensive variety of the highest quality natural and organic items, including fresh seasonal produce and local favorites. They adhere to their own strict company standards as well as to those of the Blue Ocean Institute for seafood and Global Animal Partnerships for meat. Meat and Seafood ratings are clearly labeled on the display cases and employees are knowledgeable on exactly what each rating means.

A New Partner for Local Organizations

“We are so delighted to become a part of the Port Chester community and to provide shoppers with natural and organic goods within a unique shopping experience,” said Paul Koffa, Whole Foods Market Port Chester Store Team Leader. “Its vibrant cultural setting makes Port Chester a natural fit for the Whole Foods Market and we look forward to growing and forging partnerships with the local community.”

Store staff has already started creating partnerships with the community. Whole Foods sponsored the Oct. 19 Edith Read Sanctuary Fall Festival in Rye, they ran a program with Port Chester Community Cares where children painted tiles that are now on display in the store and have been a part of other recent community programs and events.

Whole Foods architects also used Port Chester’s location on the Long Island Sound as an inspiration when designing the store. The 49,000 square-foot space is painted muted and calming blues and grays and the café has a subtle nautical theme.

Sinatra also emphasized the Whole Foods Markets values and goals explaining that their goal is to become zero waste and all markets work with local food banks to donate surplus food.

Whole Foods Market is also known for being ranked as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America by Fortune magazine for 15 consecutive years. The Port Chester location will employ about 200 people, 50 of whom are Port Chester residents; and 70 percent of employees are full-time and offered health care and other benefits.

Whole Foods Market Port Chester is located at 575 Boston Post Road, at the intersection of interstates 95 and 287. The grand opening celebration begins with the 8:30 a.m. ceremony. Deals run all day and the store closes at 10 p.m.