ATLANTA (February 12, 2014) – Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) announced it will open a new location at the northeast corner of Bob Wallace Avenue and Memorial Parkway. The newest store in Alabama for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy approximately 42,000 square feet of retail space in the Shops at Merchants Walk. The new store is slated to open in 2016.

Whole Foods Market's presence in Alabama includes one other store in Birmingham, along with another scheduled to open in Mobile in 2015.

“We’ve been looking at the Huntsville market for awhile,” said Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South region vice president. “Huntsville is a great city with a lot of interest in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be bringing more healthy food options to the area. We aim to be more than a grocery – our stores have a strong connection with the communities they serve. Whether through volunteer hours or fundraising efforts, we look forward to developing those partnerships with our newest store in Alabama.”

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.