Whole Foods Has Good News For Wyoming

Whole Foods has yet to plant its flag in "the last frontier," as Alaska is called. Bernie Sanders can't shop at the natural-and-organic supermarket chain whenever he visits his home state of Vermont. President Joe Biden won't find one either when he goes home to Delaware. Those are among a handful of states – eight in all – that don't currently have a Whole Foods location (via ScrapeHero). Soon, however, we can strike Wyoming from that list.

At first, it might seem hard to picture a grocer touted for its vegan options in the Cowboy State, where more than two-thirds of the land is devoted to livestock (via Britannica). However, a Whole Foods makes sense where it's going: Jackson Hole, a liberal outpost in the northwest corner of the state (via KHOL). Whole Foods is buying a similar independent store in Jackson Hole called Jackson Whole Grocer, according to a statement published in the Jackson news site Buckrail.

"We are fortunate to have this opportunity with Whole Foods Market, an organization that is aligned with our mission of creating and sharing exceptional experiences in food and shopping," the owner of Jackson Whole Grocer said. "We are excited to welcome Whole Foods Market to the Jackson community."

Whole Foods is buying an independent store known as a WFM "wannabe"

When the transformation is complete, from Jackson Whole Grocer to a Whole Foods in Jackson, shoppers shouldn't experience too much of a shock. Out of 62 reviews on Yelp for Jackson Whole Grocer, eight of them made a point of drawing a comparison to Whole Foods. "From the moment you walk in the store the smell is that of WFM," Yelp reviewer Ryan C. said, abbreviating "Whole Foods Market." Reviewer William L. added, "Here you can find products that are on par to items at a Whole Foods in a big city, albeit at an increased price." Finally, from Gigi D.: "'Wannabes' have a tendency to be really annoying, however Whole Grocer wanting to be Whole Foods is actually the best thing that could ever happen to Jackson." Consider Jackson Whole Grocer a "wannabe" no more. Call them a "gonnabe."

Whole Foods isn't the only major retail chain announcing a move to Jackson Hole over the past several months. REI announced in November it will put a store in Jackson this summer. Buckrail reported back in September that Target will move into an old Kmart space in Jackson Hole. Target hopes to open there in 2022.