Whole Foods regional HQ moves to Boulder

BOULDER, Colo. Whole Foods relocated its Rocky Mountain regional headquarters to the former building of Boulder’s Wild Oats Markets, regional president Will Paradise said Friday.

The move follows the Austin, Texas-based grocer’s Aug. 28 acquisition of the Boulder natural products grocery chain, installing its 40-person regional staff into the refurbished top floor of the 82,500-square-foot Twenty Ninth Street building. The company intends to hire 40 more people. The acquisition has left 248 former Wild Oats employees in transition—it is not certain how many will remain. Some have left, others laid off and more are facing job cuts that will take place within coming weeks.

Another problem facing Paradise is Whole Foods’ plans to lease the first floor of the building and the unopened flagship grocery store. The company hopes to rent the grocery space to a non-grocery retailer, a move that doesn’t sit well with Twenty Ninth Street’s owners.

Having a grocery anchor “is very important to us,” Lain Adams, property manager at Twenty Ninth Street, said Friday.