Whole Foods to Close Davis Location

DAVIS, CA -- Healthy food grocer Whole Foods Market announced Feb. 8 that it will close its Davis location sometime during the second quarter of 2017.

The Davis store, which opened in October 2012, is one of nine Whole Foods Markets nationwide, and two in California, that are scheduled to close due to underperformance.

The company issued a news release about the closures, and co-founder and CEO John Mackey also discussed the news during a first quarter earnings call.

No solid date has been given for the shuttering of the Davis location, but it's expected to be complete by the end of June. In the news release, the company stated that it's working with employees to find them jobs at nearby stores.

Whole Foods has stores in several other Bay Area cities, including Petaluma in the North Bay, Campbell and Los Gatos in the South Bay, and Los Altos and Palo Alto on the SF Bay Peninsula.

Mackey called the closures a "difficult but prudent decision," but that it would help the Texas-based chain develop "a healthier bottom line, increased cash flow and higher returns."

The only other California location slated to close is in the city of Encinitas, located in northern San Diego County.

Separately, the company announced on the same day that it's opening a new 365 by Whole Foods Market store in Oakland later this year. 365 By Whole Foods is a streamlined version of the chain featuring lower-priced items aimed at younger consumers.

The first 365 store debuted in the Los Angeles area in May 2016; the new Bay Area store is planned for Oakland's Temescal neighborhood.

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