Whole Foods Gateway store to reopen March 7

Photo by Amy Denney

Whole Foods Market decided to keep its Gateway store open after receiving feedback from its customers. The location opened in 1995.

Whole Foods Market in the Gateway shopping center will reopen March 7 after undergoing renovations to improve energy efficiency such as the installation of upgraded LED lighting.

Customers will also see new features such as an expanded hot bar and salad bar, a new seating area, an artisanal barista program and more options for cold beer and wine. The store closed Jan. 12 for renovations and is located at 9607 Research Blvd.

"I'm excited to welcome our shoppers and team members back into their store," said Evan Schmiedehaus, store team leader for Whole Foods Market Gateway, in a news release. "We've made changes in multiple departments based on feedback from our shoppers, and we're excited to now share them with the North Austin community."

As part of the reopening, Whole Foods will celebrate with a Community Giving Day in which a percentage of the proceeds from opening day benefit a selected local nonprofit.

Whole Foods had targeted the Gateway store for closure after the company opened its location in The Domain on Jan. 15. However, after listening to customer feedback from residents wanting the Gateway store to remain open, Whole Foods decided to keep it open.

The Gateway store opened in May 1995 and is about 34,000 square feet in size. The 63,000-square-foot Domain store is located 2.8 miles from the Gateway location at 11920 Domain Drive.

For more information, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/gateway.