Dive Brief:

• Whole Foods Market is opening its first Montana location on Feb. 1, according to a Monday announcement from the grocer. 
• The 31,718-square-foot store will be stocked with more than 75 local products from Montana and Wyoming and will lean into the region’s landscape with large windows overlooking a mountain view. The store will also feature a rustic interior and an outdoor patio with heaters and seating.
• This is the second store the specialty grocer has announced for 2023 after opening just shy of a dozen new locations over the course of 2022.

Dive Insight:

The newly announced Whole Foods store will be located at 2905 W. Main St. in Bozeman, Montana. 

The southern Montana city, situated along the Rocky Mountains, has earned itself the reputation of being “the most livable place” for its world-renowned nature activities and wildlife in addition to festivals, museums, cultural centers and markets. It is one of the most visited cities in the state by tourists as it is home to Montana State University and opens up to Yellowstone National Park. 

And now, Bozeman will be home to the state’s first Whole Foods Market.

The store will house a full-service coffee bar from local business Treeline Coffee Roasters, a floral section with flowers from two Montana-based gardens and a specialty cheese department with cheesemongers offering more than 100 international and local cheeses.

It will also have many features shoppers can find at other Whole Foods locations, including a prepared foods section, local craft beers as well as a curated selection of wines, a bakery department and full-service seafood and meat counters — both with ready-to-cook meal options. Shoppers will be able to shop Sourced for Good produce, products from Whole Foods’ private label brand and items from local businesses. 

The Bozeman, Montana, location is the second announced store opening for 2023. The natural grocer’s first store of the new year will open Wednesday in New York City’s Financial District.  

Whole Foods opened 11 new store locations in 2022 with more than a third located in California, highlighting the grocer’s continuing expansion efforts since coming under Amazon’s ownership in 2017. Two of these locations featured Amazon’s Just Walk Out frictionless checkout technology.

Thus far, the grocer has not indicated how many more stores it hopes to open as the new year progresses. As of last May, the grocery chain had 43 stores teed up to open across 19 states and Washington, D.C., but did not list expected debut dates.