Whole Foods Market announced Nov. 20 that it will open a second store in the Asheville area in the location of the current Kmart shopping center on Tunnel Road.

The newest store in North Carolina for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy about 35,000 square feet of retail space where Kmart now is located. Construction will begin sometime next summer, and the new store is scheduled to open in fall 2014.

Kmart owner Sears Holdings confirmed recently that the Kmart store would close in late January.

The space occupied by Kmart will be demolished and replaced with space for two tenants. Other parts of the shopping center will be renovated. Plans also call for regrading part of the parking lot, adding trees and other landscaping, and reducing the size of the center from about 148,000 to 136,000 square feet.

While Whole Foods Market owns the Greenlife Grocery on Merrimon Avenue, its Tunnel Road store will be its first in the Asheville area under the Whole Foods Market brand. It also will be Whole Foods 11th store in North Carolina.

“We’ve been looking for the right location in Asheville for quite some time,” Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South region vice president, said in a press release. “Asheville is a great city with a lot of interest in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be adding to our roster of stores in the area and to be bringing a new store to the market.” 

Meanwhile, Lyle Darnall, EDENS managing director, added, “EDENS is thrilled to partner with Whole Foods Market to create a fun, upbeat community gathering place for Asheville.

“Our vision for this center re-uses some of the existing buildings. We want to create a sense of warmth and familiarity at the center that naturally fosters meaningful interaction among neighbors. Changes in the future, like welcoming Whole Foods, will reflect the values of the Asheville community: local and unique.”

Whole Foods Market said in an announcement that its new Asheville store will feature “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,” the company said in a press release.

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading natural and organic food retailer.

As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine.

The company's motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement, a company press release stated. 

Employing more than 73,000 workers, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years.

In fiscal year 2012, the company had sales of $11.7 billion and currently has more than 340 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.