Whole Foods Market to open first Bay Area 365 store in Concord in December

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Whole Foods Market announced that it will open the first Northern California location of its new lower-priced chain, Whole Foods Market 365, in Concord on Dec. 6. The company has already opened six 365 stores, which are smaller and have more grab-and-go options than its traditional supermarkets.

The news comes just a few weeks after Amazon’s purchase of the upscale grocery store became final and it lowered prices on many supermarket items, which led to a reported 25 percent increase in foot traffic for the first two days post-acquisition, according to data from Foursquare.

In an interview with The Chronicle in May, Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey described the 365 model aimed at being competitive with Trader Joe’s, Ralphs and other major supermarkets. The name comes from its in-house generic brand, 365.

Unlike traditional Whole Foods Markets, which have seafood, deli and cheese counters, the new stores will be designed for almost all self-service, Mackey said, lowering labor costs.

“That allows us to price far more aggressively,” said Mackey, adding that the smaller size means lower capital investment per store, too.

The opening of a 365 location in the Bay Area has been highly anticipated since the company signed a lease to take over the former Lombardi Sports location at Polk and Jackson streets in San Francisco in December 2015. That deal faced opposition from Supervisor Aaron Peskin, and a San Francisco 365 has yet to open. The company also has been in talks to open a location in Oakland.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan