Whole Foods Co-op Sees Increase in Ownership

DULUTH, Minn. – Whole Foods Co–op has seen a large increase in ownership since opening a new location in the Denfeld neighborhood of Duluth in mid–March.

The co–op says they are close to 10,000 owners since the addition of the west Duluth store.

The cooperative relies on the community to invest a one-time fee of $100 to become an owner.

Whole foods decided to grow in the Denfeld area because there was a large need for food access in that area.

Sales have remained steady at the new location and the downtown co–op; however, Whole Foods management tells us they have no plans for any additional expansion in the near future.

“Expanding from our hillside store to a second store here in the west Duluth neighborhood was an enormous investment for our co–op,” said Sarah Hannigan, General Manager of Whole Foods Co-op. “We are looking towards really taking advantage of what we’ve built here in our community and maximizing our impact before we look to growing additionally.”

Whole Foods Co-op also offers an access discount program, giving low income shoppers a 10% discount to their bill.

The co–op is open to all shoppers, not just owners.