Whole Foods announces grand opening in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Whole Foods Market will be opening its doors in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, November 6. The new 28,500 square foot store will have an Opening Day celebration starting at 9:00 a.m. with complimentary refreshments, bites and music before the store opens. The first 300 customers will receive a Whole Foods Market South Lake Tahoe reusable tote bag, as well as a savings card with a mystery value ranging between $5 and $100 and a miniature loaf of bread to honor the Whole Foods Market tradition of breaking bread with the community.

“We can’t wait to welcome the South Lake Tahoe community into their new Whole Foods Market,” said Wes Mewes, Store Team Leader. “We look forward to providing our customers with a wide selection of fresh, responsibly sourced and innovative products, and a variety of local items and prepared foods.”

They held a local job fair and are in the process of filling staff and putting in the finishing touches on their 46th store in Northern California.

All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous quality standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban animal testing and more than one hundred commonly used ingredients.

The store was originally slated to be part of the chain's 365 brand, but since the sale of the company to Amazon that concept was eliminated. Instead, they have added special features:

- Fresh produce department offering a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables, including offerings from eight local growers such as organic Honeycrisp and fuji apples and satsuma mandarins

- Meat department featuring sausages and freshly ground beef, options from local suppliers, seasonal appetizer selections and oven-ready protein kits

- Seafood department offering fresh and frozen seafood, with all products either sustainably wild-caught or responsibly farmed, including seasonal favorites like oven-ready, garlic-roasted Dungeness crab and locally sourced caviar

- Specialty foods section featuring a variety of cheeses, coffee, and teas, including options from more than 20 local suppliers, a self-serve olive bar, 32 feet dedicated to craft beer and an extensive wine selection

- Bakery department offering an array of self-serve baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, breads, and frozen mochi, with a variety of items from local bakeries and for special diets

- Prepared foods section with a wide selection of hot and cold food bars, including a salad bar, soup wells with seasonally-rotating options and stations for made-to-order signature sandwiches, Sicilian-style pizza, sushi, rotisserie chickens and sliced deli meats from local suppliers

- Bulk section offering more than 60 items

- Beauty and body care department featuring a variety of products from six local suppliers

- Hundreds of products throughout the store from local suppliers, 12 of which are recipients of Whole Foods Market’s Local Producer Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans to local producers to help grow their businesses

Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, like deep discounts on dozens of select popular products each week and an additional 10 percent off hundreds of in-store sale items. In addition, eligible Prime members receive five percent back on Whole Foods Market purchases when using the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card.

To celebrate joining the community, five percent of the store’s net sales on Wednesday, November 13 will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, which provides children and teens in the community with a safe, positive and welcoming environment where they can have fun and enhance their education and life experiences.

Whole Foods Market South Lake Tahoe will employ approximately 100 full and part-time team members. Following the grand opening, the store will be open from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily. The store is located at the Bijou Marketplace which was built at the site of the former Knight's Inn at 3600 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information visit https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/southlaketahoe.