Press release

From Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) announces it will open a second store in the current Kmart shopping center on Tunnel Road in Asheville. The newest store in North Carolina for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy approximately 35,000 square feet of retail space in the existing Kmart location. Construction will begin sometime next summer, and the new store is slated to open in 2014.

Whole Foods Market's presence in the Asheville area includes Greenlife Grocery on Merrimon Avenue, but this will be the first store under the Whole Foods Market brand. This is the 11th store in North Carolina.

“We’ve been looking for the right location in Asheville for quite some time,” said Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South region vice president. “Asheville is a great city with a lot of interest in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be adding to our roster of stores in the area and to be bringing a new store to the market.”


“EDENS is thrilled to partner with Whole Foods Market to create a fun, upbeat community gathering place for Asheville,” said Lyle Darnall, EDENS Managing Director. “Our vision for this center re-uses some of the existing buildings. We want to create a sense of warmth and familiarity at the center that naturally fosters meaningful interaction among neighbors. Changes in the future, like welcoming Whole Foods, will reflect the values of the Asheville community: local and unique.”

Whole Foods Market features a fresh and enticing selection of natural foods in their purest state, free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives as well as hydrogenated fats. Whole Foods Market offers shoppers the highest quality, best-tasting and freshest foods in an inviting setting. Each store is unique and is designed to meet the needs of the neighborhoods where we live and work. Combine the great-tasting food with outstanding customer service and the result is a pleasantly atypical grocery shopping experience.

About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company's motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than 73,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2012, the company had sales of $11.7 billion and currently has more than 340 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

About EDENS:
EDENS develops, owns and operates neighborhood shopping centers in primary markets throughout the East Coast. Focusing on innovative development and redevelopment together with key acquisitions in urban areas, the Company has built an institutional-quality portfolio of 130 retail centers. EDENS has Regional Headquarters in Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami and Columbia, SC. For additional information about the Company and its retail real estate portfolio, please visit http://www.edens.com.