CHICAGO, IL - Chicago is the home of the latest distribution center to be built as part of Whole Foods Market’s takeover of the grocery landscape. In addition to boosting access to major transportation avenues for the retailer’s 26 Chicago-area stores, the facility is also expected to serve an additional 34 locations across the Midwest and Eastern Canada.
“The Pullman neighborhood is an ideal location for our new distribution center,” said Midwest Regional President Michael Bashaw. “The proximity to major transportation and other business needs will help us to better serve our customers and support our stores in the Midwest and Ontario. We are now closer to the majority of our stores, shortening delivery time, and, in the long-term, we have plenty of additional space for expansion to support growth.”
The 16.5 acres plot in Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood is expected to employ 100 team members, many of whom moved from the company’s previous facility in Munster, Indiana. The new distribution center will allow Whole Foods Market stores to replenish products faster, with the location expecting to move an average of 200,000 cases each week to locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Ontario.
Built with an emphasis on environmental improvements, the facility also comes equipped with the following attributes, according to a press release:
- Approximately 20 percent more electrically efficient
- Saves more than 1.3 million kilowatts per year and
- Saves more than $150,000 annually
- Natural refrigerants
- Occupancy light sensors
- High-efficiency interior and exterior lighting
- Thermosiphon oil cooling
- Redistribution of refrigeration waste to heat floors
“Whole Foods' decision to move its Midwest distribution center to Chicago is a vote of confidence in the city and another sign of the economic renaissance underway in the historic Pullman community,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “The new distribution center, coming on the heels of new Whole Foods Markets in Englewood and Hyde Park, is bringing more investment and opportunity to Chicago communities.”
Also announced this morning is the appointment of Whole Foods veteran Nicole Wescoe to Northeast Region President. Wescoe has spent 24 years with the company, working her way up from a team leader in the bakery, specialty and grocery departments, to Regional Vice President of the Northeast region. She returned to the Mid-Atlantic roots in 2013, where she most recently served as the area’s Regional Vice President.
“I am beyond excited to return to the Northeast to lead the region in partnership with our accomplished team,” shared Wescoe in a separate press release. “The Northeast is a Whole Foods Market leader when it comes to operations and culinary innovation and the opportunity to build on that existing strength and elevate the customer experience in our stores is incredibly inspiring.”
Whole Foods looks to kick off 2018 with a bang, and as the retailer continues to spread its wings under Amazon’s leadership, AndNowUKnow will keep sharing updates.
