The original UES location (Google Maps)
The Upper East Side is getting another Whole Foods Market — and it’s moving into a corner storefront that’s sat dark since the end of 2024.
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Whole Foods confirmed to East Side Feed that a store is coming to 1524 Second Avenue, on the corner of 79th Street. The space was most recently a Duane Reade, which closed its doors near the end of 2024. A company representative told us, “I can confirm a Whole Foods Market store is coming to this location, but have no additional details to share at this time.”The company isn’t sharing specifics yet, but the footprint suggests this will be another of the chain’s small-format shops. Whole Foods already runs two Upper East Side locations — one at 1551 Third Avenue, between 87th and 88th streets, and one at 1175 Third Avenue, between 68th and 69th streets. That second store was the company’s first small-format store, which we covered when it opened in September 2024.
The Upper East Side’s existing small-format store has mixed reviews, with a Google score of 3.3 out of 5 stars (compared to the original UES location, which has a score of 4 out of 5 stars).
Branded Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, those smaller stores run between 7,000 and 14,000 square feet, compared to the traditional 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods, according to Grocery Dive. The chain has been leaning into the concept, recently announcing plans to bring it to three new U.S. markets in a May 13 press release.
Word of the opening had been circulating on Reddit before the confirmation.
New Whole Foods on 79/2nd?
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We’ll provide updates once we learn more.
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