Whole Foods is taking part in a massive expansion plan and now the company has announced that it will open a new store in the economically challenged Detroit area.
Detroit has lost more than half of its population since the 1950s which has led the Wall Street Journal to ask whether Whole Foods has “gone off the rails” in terms of how it does business.
However, the company chose a location in the more upscale “Midtown” area where many of Detroit’s top earners live without one mile of the Detroit business district. The area is home to various community gardens, a leading farmers market where Whole Foods will purchase product and buyers who’s income levels are higher than the city average.
In fact Midtown is one of the few areas in and around Detroit that has seen population growth over the last few years.
Management for Whole Foods also points out that the local residents of Midtown tend to have higher education levels then surrounding area residents.
In order to gain the company’s business Whole Foods is expected to receive various grants and tax incentives from Midtown in order to make the deal happen. It’s those incentives that have angered small business owners in the area because they have never had access to the same type of treatment.
Regardless of local small business sentiment one representative for the city notes:
“This is huge for Detroit.”
Do you think bringing an overpriced Whole Foods store to a Detroit location is going to be good for business or a colossal disaster?
