Wayne Whole Foods Store May Be 'Years' Away From Opening

WAYNE, NJ — It might be awhile before you can buy fig and goat cheese bites and Swedish drinkable yogurt from the Wayne Whole Foods store.

Mayor Chris Vergano announced Wednesday night that Whole Foods signed a lease to bring a store to the Valley Ridge Shopping Center. An opening date has not been set yet.

"New store projects typically take a few years to develop as we design each one to fit within its community," said Tina Clabbers Feigley, a Whole Foods spokesperson.

For years residents have been wanting a Whole Foods to come to Wayne. The closest Whole Foods are in Montclair, West Orange, and Ridgewood.

Vergano said the town has been working for months with Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc., the shopping center's owner, and Whole Foods to complete the deal.

A&P had been located in the 36,000-square-foot space for years until the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2015. A&P vacated the space later that year.

"We're very happy that everything came together," Vergano said.

A Korean market was slated to go in the space, but the tenant defaulted on their lease and had to be evicted.

Related: Whole Foods Opening In Wayne

Related: Bergen County-Based A And P Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

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