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Whole Foods Market Unites With Venice Community to Create a Store in Their Flavor

VENICE, Calif.-(Business Wire)-September 3, 2008 - Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and the nation’s first certified organic grocer, broke bread with Venice-area residents to open its latest Southern California location at 225 Lincoln Avenue (at Rose Ave.) this morning at 8:30 a.m. The 48,000-square-foot retail canvas of organic, natural and local products features the fresh, eclectic fare Whole Foods Market is famous for while offering specialty items as diverse and exotic as the city it serves.

This store continues Whole Foods Market’s evolution into a complete culinary destination. By strolling the store’s aisles, shoppers can travel the globe, selecting foods to take home or enjoy on the spot. While the regions and flavors may change dish to dish, every edible item is held to Whole Foods Market’s stringent natural, organic and humanitarian standards. Among the highlights found in the Venice store:

Personally guided Value Tours to spotlight the store’s greatest deals
“Custom Catch” – a fish market where shoppers can flavor any available seafood with marinades and seasonings. While the customer shops, Whole Foods Market cooks their order so it is piping hot at the checkout. Choices include: charbroil, bake, steam, deep fry, sauté, or smoke using an in-store seafood smoker
The widest selection of the best tasting, freshest meat, raised to the strictest standards in the industry – including harder-to-find items like game, duck and range-grown turkey
“Veggie Grill” – a daily rotation of fresh-picked items, grilled to order
“Chocolate Island” featuring more than 50 chocolates surrounding a cascading chocolate fountain
A bakery brimming with fresh European-style pastries, cakes and breads
The Tapioca & Rice Pudding Bar and a Gelato Scoop Bar
Bountiful bins of organic and conventional fruits and vegetables – including delicious, unusual items like cactus pears and Persian cucumbers
A variety of Asian dishes, including made to order sushi, vegetable or shrimp tempura, Korean BBQ and Yakitori
A gigantic selection of self-serve hot and cold foods and a world-class salad bar
Eco-chic clothing, shoes, accessories and home goods
More than 20,000 natural hair and skin care products

“Venice, California, is an internationally known cultural destination and a passionately involved resident community,” said Mike Bowen, store team leader, Whole Foods Market Venice. “This store reflects the diversity and artistic sensibility of Venice.”

Local artists, jewelers and designers have their goods on sale in the new store. In addition, Whole Foods Market commissioned Chilean muralist, and current Venice resident, Francisco Letelier to create “Reflecting the Light” – a permanent mural that will grace the building’s interior. While Letelier’s works are world-renowned, Angelenos may be most familiar with his ceramic tile mural, “The Sun and the Moon” (1992) – the defining artwork inside Metro Red Line’s MacArthur Park station. A frieze of tiles created with students from the Inside Out Community Arts Program is integrated into Letelier’s mural at Whole Foods Market.

Customers can join the weekly Whole Foods Market Value Tour – a custom-guided walk through the store to help the savvy shopper on any budget enjoy the freshest, highest quality food available. For example, Whole Foods Market’s own family of brands – 365 Everyday Value, 365 Organic Everyday Value, Whole Kitchen and Whole Pantry – offers thousands of natural and organic products at prices competitive with conventional products at traditional supermarkets.

Event note:

Whole Foods Market in Venice will partner with The Venice Family Clinic for Community Support Day on Wednesday, September 10. Five percent of after-tax profits from the day’s sales will benefit the clinic which serves low income families and individuals.

About Whole Foods Market®

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2007, the company had sales of $6.6 billion and currently has more than 270 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Whole Foods Market, Fresh & Wild™, and Harry’s Farmers Market® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Wild Oats® and Capers Community Market™ are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc. Whole Foods Market employs more than 53,000 Team Members and has been ranked for 11 consecutive years as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine.