Whole Foods is expanding its Upper East Side footprint again, this time with a smaller neighborhood store tucked beneath a luxury residential tower at Second Avenue and East 79th Street. The lease gives Yorkville residents another grocery option without requiring a trek to one of the company’s larger Manhattan markets, though an opening date has not been announced.
The Amazon-owned grocer leased the corner retail space at 1524 Second Avenue, according to the New York Business Journal. The store is designed around the dense residential population surrounding the property, making it a decidedly local play rather than another sprawling supermarket destination.
The incoming market will also give new life to a storefront that has been dark since the former Duane Reade closed on November 12, 2024. That closure was part of a broader wave of New York pharmacy shutdowns, and the vacant corner has been waiting for a replacement with enough daily utility to match the neighborhood’s foot traffic, as Patch reported.
A Smaller Whole Foods Built For City Errands
Whole Foods’ smaller-format stores are built around fresh produce, meat and seafood, prepared foods, bakery items, supplements and a curated selection of everyday staples. The company says its Daily Shop concept is intended for dense urban neighborhoods, with layouts and product assortments designed to make quick shopping trips easier, according to a Whole Foods Market announcement.
The new store will become the third Whole Foods location on the Upper East Side. The chain already operates a larger market at 1551 Third Avenue and a smaller Lenox Hill location at 1175 Third Avenue, the latter of which was the company’s first Daily Shop, as East Side Feed previously reported.
Whole Foods has cited the Lenox Hill location as evidence that the compact format can attract customers beyond its traditional base. In an official update, the company said 42% of shoppers at that store between September 2024 and May 2025 were either new or re-engaged Whole Foods customers who had not shopped at other New York City-area locations during the comparable period.
The Lease Fits Whole Foods’ Broader New York Push
The new shop will sit at the base of a 36-story, 538-unit residential tower, according to LoopNet. That built-in customer base is precisely the kind of setting Whole Foods has pursued with its smaller stores, while a separate 10,000-square-foot Bushwick lease shows the retailer is continuing to plant compact outposts across New York, Commercial Observer reported.
Whole Foods has not disclosed the store’s opening date, lease term or exact product lineup. For now, the clearest takeaway for Upper East Siders is that the long-vacant 79th Street corner is headed toward a grocery makeover—and the next Whole Foods run may be considerably shorter.
