Whole Foods Market is preparing to open its first Manatee County location at the Marketplace at Heritage Harbour in Bradenton.
Here are five things to know before the doors open.
The store opens Thursday, Nov. 5
The 42,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market will open at 8 a.m. at 7295 State Road 64 East in Bradenton. Regular hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It will be the chain’s first Manatee County store and its 40th location in Florida.
Florida products will have a major presence
The store will carry more than 450 items from more than 115 Florida-based suppliers. Local offerings will include mushrooms, salsa, juice, cookies, clams, smoked fish dips, beef, mozzarella, jams, chocolates, baked goods, personal-care products and beer from Tampa Bay-area breweries.
Shoppers can expect a full lineup of fresh and prepared foods
Departments will include produce, seafood, meat, specialty cheese, bakery, wellness and beauty, and prepared foods. The store also will offer hot food and salad bars, pizza, gourmet sandwiches and sushi rolled fresh daily, along with more than 650 wines and 250 craft beers.
Opening-day customers can get giveaways and savings
Customers arriving on opening morning can get coffee from Buddy Brew Coffee and cold-pressed juice from Urban Remedy. The first 300 people in line will receive a limited-edition Bradenton tote bag and a Secret Saver coupon offering savings of up to $100.
The opening includes support for a local nonprofit
Whole Foods Market plans to donate food and money to Good Neighbors, which collects surplus food from area Whole Foods stores to reduce waste and serve the community. The organization previously received a refrigerated van through the company’s Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program.