Whole Foods Market is finally making a move on Bradenton, with plans for a new store at Market Place at Heritage Harbour, just off Interstate 75 and State Road 64 near Lakewood Ranch. The Amazon-owned grocer is eyeing an early 2027 opening, which would bring the first Whole Foods inside Bradenton city limits and add yet another heavyweight to the fast-filling retail corridor east of I-75.
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the chain is moving ahead with the Bradenton project and has circled early 2027 for opening day, describing the store as part of a deeper push into the Sarasota-Manatee market.
Where It Will Go
The planned store is headed for Market Place at Heritage Harbour, the Costco-anchored shopping center at the northeast corner of I-75 and State Road 64, roughly a mile from Lakewood Ranch. Local coverage has been tracking the center’s growth, including a large Target project at 725 Lighthouse Drive, and lists Whole Foods among the incoming anchor tenants, according to Your Observer.
Timeline And Local Context
Earlier reporting put Whole Foods on the list of Florida expansions but kept the timing fuzzy. In April, Patch noted that the company had stores planned in Sarasota, Bradenton, Valrico and Doral, and that “there is no opening timeline for these stores.” The Tampa Bay Business Journal now tightens that up, reporting an early 2027 target specifically for the Bradenton location.
What It Means For Shoppers
For Lakewood Ranch residents and shoppers across east Manatee County, a Bradenton Whole Foods would put specialty counters, prepared-food options and a wider range of local producers much closer than the current drive to Sarasota. When the University Parkway Whole Foods opened in Sarasota, it employed roughly 180 people, suggesting the Bradenton store could also become a significant local employer, the Bradenton Herald reported.
