Whole Foods will continue to have two stores in West Hartford, one in the Center and the other in Blue Back Square.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford residents in the north end of town will continue to have the convenience of a Whole Foods store in their neighborhood because the Bishops Corner store will be remaining open, an assistant manager confirmed Monday afternoon.

In May 2019, Whole Foods had stated it planned to close the Bishops Corner store when opening a new store in Avon.

While the Avon Village store will still be opening, it will not be a replacement for the Bishops Corner store, the assistant manager said.

Kristen Gorski, West Hartford’s economic development specialist, said that while she had not been able to confirm the news with Peter D’Addeo, owner of Commercial Services Realty, owner of the shopping center where Whole Foods is located at 340 North Main St. in Bishops Corner, she is excited that the store will remain.

“That’s really fantastic news,” Gorski told We-Ha.com.

“It was really disappointing for Bishops Corner and West Hartford when the news broke about the relocation,” Gorski said. “Whole Foods is a very important amenity for that part of town. It’s a longtime business and it’s great to be able to maintain that location.”

Whole Foods corporate office has not yet responded to a request for additional details regarding the timing of the Avon opening and renewal of the Bishops Corner lease.

A message was also left for D’Addeo.

The Bishops Corner Whole Foods Market was formerly Wild Oats, but Whole Foods purchased Wild Oats in 2007 and decided at that time to keep the two West Hartford stores open.

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