Whole Foods to open first Manatee County store in November

Whole Foods is opening its first store in Manatee County next month, marking the 40th location for the grocer in Florida. The store will be in the Marketplace at Heritage Harbour at 7295 State Road 64 E. It will open Nov. 5.

Spanning 42,000 square feet, the new Whole Foods will offer everything from produce to wellness products. There will be hot food and salad bars, pizza, sandwiches and sushi in the prepared foods department; a full-service meat counter; seafood counter; cheese counter; bakery; wellness and beauty department; and an array of fresh produce and floral items. The store will also have an extensive beverage section including more than 650 wines and 250 craft beers, according to a statement.

More than 450 items throughout the store will be locally sourced from Florida. Among them are chocolates from Norman Love Confections of Fort Myers; beer from Tampa Bay Brewing Co., Tampa-based Coppertail Brewing Co. and St. Petersburg’s Green Bench Brewing Co.; soap from North Port-based Lolablue; and coffee from Tampa-based Buddy Brew Coffee.

When the Manatee County store opens on Thursday, Nov. 5, the first 300 customers in line will receive a limited-edition Bradenton tote bag and a coupon with savings up to $100 off. Daily hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Whole Foods has 540 U.S. stores. The company has its headquarters in Austin, Texas, the city where it opened its first location in 1980. It is owned by Amazon.