PHOTO GALLERY: 1st Look at Whole Foods Market in St. Petersburg

The produce section in the new St. Petersburg Whole Foods Market includes local organic greens from Lady Moon Farms and herbs and salads from Hardee Fresh.

Whole Foods Market closed out February with a new store opening, less than a week after unveiling a relocated site in Albuquerque, N.M. On Feb. 28, the grocer welcomed shoppers to a 40,100-square-foot store in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Located at 201 38th Avenue North, the new Whole Foods Market reflects its surroundings. Given the fact that St. Petersburg is dubbed the “Sunshine City,” the store features several sun motifs and was designed with a warm palette.

The assortment at the St. Petersburg store is also designed to brighten shoppers’ day. More than 800 products from Florida suppliers are available. Many of those local options can be found at the full-service seafood counter, meat case, bakery and produce section, in addition to the center store aisles. Behind the scenes, team members are busy creating made-in-house offerings, ranging from fresh sausage to seafood empanadas to hearth breads.

As with other Whole Foods locations, this one includes an eclectic prepared foods department, with pizza, in-house charcuterie, sushi made daily and hot food and salad bars. Shoppers can also choose from a selection of more than 180 craft beers in the alcohol section.

“As a Tampa-area native, opening a Whole Foods Market store in St. Petersburg feels like a personal milestone. This moment has been eagerly awaited, and I’m honored to be part of the team bringing our store to such a vibrant community,” said Mario Torres, store team leader.

Whole Foods held a grand opening on Feb. 28 that included the retailer’s traditional bread-breaking ceremony with leadership, giveaways including tote bags and coupons and a “Stuff the Van” event with its community partner, Good Neighbors. The grocer is donating a refrigerated van to that organization as part of its Nourishing Our Neighborhoods initiative.

The St. Petersburg Whole Foods Market is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.

This is the third Whole Foods store to open in 2024. The retailer also finished the fourth quarter of 2023 with three openings.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle-based Amazon, which is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. Both Whole Foods and Amazon were named among PG’s Retailers of the Century.

St. Petersburg Whole Foods Photo Gallery

Shoppers can pick up meals and foods to go at the expansive prepared foods area.

Shoppers can pick up meals and foods to go at the expansive prepared foods area.
The St. Petersburg store includes a Whole Body department with a large assortment of wellness and beauty items and more than 30 local brands.

The St. Petersburg store includes a Whole Body department with a large assortment of wellness and beauty items and more than 30 local brands.
Shoppers can find local seafood, including whole fish and fish fillets, at the full-service seafood counter adjacent to a sizable butcher case.

Shoppers can find local seafood, including whole fish and fish fillets, at the full-service seafood counter adjacent to a sizable butcher case.
Value-minded shoppers can easily find deals at their new Whole Foods Market in Florida's "Sunshine City."

Value-minded shoppers can easily find deals at their new Whole Foods Market in Florida's "Sunshine City."
A bread-breaking ceremony was held with store leadership on Feb. 28 to mark the grand opening.

A bread-breaking ceremony was held with store leadership on Feb. 28 to mark the grand opening.
The latest Whole Foods in St. Petersburg is donating to nonprofit groups including the local Good Neighbors group and the St. Pete Free Clinic.

The latest Whole Foods in St. Petersburg is donating to nonprofit groups including the local Good Neighbors group and the St. Pete Free Clinic.