Amazon-owned Whole Foods just opened its first online-only location. Take a look inside the store that has no shoppers.

Madeline StoneSep 1, 2020, 22:21 IST

Whole Foods' newest store is all about delivery.Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods just opened its first online-only grocery store.
Located in Brooklyn, New York, the location is intended to fulfill online grocery orders for delivery to Prime members in the area.
"We have hired hundreds of Whole Foods Market Team Members and other applicants throughout the NYC area, who will be dedicated to preparing orders for grocery delivery, enabling us to reach more customers than ever before," a Whole Foods spokesperson said.

Whole Foods opened its newest store in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday.

But it won't be open to the public. The store, located in the Industry City area, is meant to stock items for online grocery orders only. Amazon Prime members can get free delivery from Whole Foods stores in more than 2,000 cities and towns across the US.

Though the company said in a blog post that the store has been in the works for more than a year, the timing is impeccable. Amazon reported in July that its online grocery sales tripled year-over-year for the second quarter — a period in which many consumers were staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic and looking for delivery options to get their groceries safely.

"Whole Foods Market is proud to introduce our first ever, permanent online-only store in Brooklyn, which will allow us to better serve the community and meet the growing demand for grocery delivery," a Whole Foods spokesperson said. "We have hired hundreds of Whole Foods Market Team Members and other applicants throughout the NYC area, who will be dedicated to preparing orders for grocery delivery, enabling us to reach more customers than ever before."

Take a look inside the online-only store:

Like a typical Whole Foods store, this location has shopping carts ...

Whole Foods Market

... and shelves stocked with food items.

Whole Foods Market

The store's sole purpose, however, is fulfilling online grocery orders and sending them out to customers in Brooklyn. Prime members in certain zip codes can get free delivery from Whole Foods stores.

Whole Foods Market

The store's sole purpose, however, is fulfilling online grocery orders and sending them out to customers in Brooklyn. Prime members in certain zip codes can get free delivery from Whole Foods stores.

Whole Foods has experimented with "dark stores" before. In May, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported six Whole Foods stores had converted to be online-only, in an effort to better accommodate demand for grocery delivery.

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods has experimented with "dark stores" before. In May, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported six Whole Foods stores had converted to be online-only, in an effort to better accommodate demand for grocery delivery.

Those stores have since converted back into their original format, USA Today reported on Tuesday. The new Brooklyn store is the first that will be online-only permanently, according to Whole Foods.

Whole Foods' newest store is all about delivery. Whole Foods Market

Those stores have since converted back into their original format, USA Today reported on Tuesday. The new Brooklyn store is the first that will be online-only permanently, according to Whole Foods.

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Amazon-owned Whole Foods just opened its first online-only location. Take a look inside the store that has no shoppers.

Like a typical Whole Foods store, this location has shopping carts ...

... and shelves stocked with food items.

The store's sole purpose, however, is fulfilling online grocery orders and sending them out to customers in Brooklyn. Prime members in certain zip codes can get free delivery from Whole Foods stores.

Whole Foods has experimented with "dark stores" before. In May, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported six Whole Foods stores had converted to be online-only, in an effort to better accommodate demand for grocery delivery.

Those stores have since converted back into their original format, USA Today reported on Tuesday. The new Brooklyn store is the first that will be online-only permanently, according to Whole Foods.