Whole Foods Market has opened a new lifestyle store-within-a-store, at its Bridgewater (New Jersey) outlet.
Called Plant & Plate, the store creates a stylish boutique setting for a carefully edited range of home goods, beauty and garden products. The emphasis, says Whole Foods, is on products “rooted in nature” and local sourcing.
According to the Bridgwater store’s Instragram feed, featured products include Hedley & Bennett aprons along with local favourites like Beaucycled jewellery, floral crafts from Hoboken and Brooklyn-based Apotheke candles. There’s also an exclusive range of ceramic goods from Bridgewater-based Keiko Inouye.
The new store feature is designed to feel cosy and welcoming, Whole Foods’ northeast region whole body coordinator, Genevieve Monette, told Homeworld Business. “It’s easy to stop into the shop and pick up a little gift for someone, or for yourself, while on a regular trip to the grocery store.”
The development won’t surprise the independent natural product retail channel. Many stores have tried integrating home and garden products into their store mix, to varying degrees of success. The timing of Whole Food’s first venture into the home lifestyle space is striking, coming after the arrival in the last two years of US Green-themed home improvement retailer Treehouse, which opened a third store in early 2018.
Photos: Whole Foods Market’s new Plant & Plate store, via Instagram