Bellevue Whole Foods 365 Doesn't Have To Reopen: Court

BELLEVUE, WA - Bellevue will not be forced to have two Whole Foods stores after all. A state appeals court on Monday ruled that the Whole Foods 365 store at Bellevue Square can remain closed, even though the store's landlords sued to keep the store open.

The ruling comes after a legal back-and-forth between Bellevue Square and Whole Foods.

Last December, a King County judge ordered the Bellevue Whole Foods 365 store to reopen after the owners of Bellevue Square sued. Whole Foods closed the Bellevue 365 store in October 2017 citing poor revenue.

Bellevue Square claimed Whole Foods broke a lease term requiring the store to operate in perpetuity for the first 10 years of the 20-year lease.

The Whole Foods 365 is the chain's lower-priced concept. Whole Foods operates 12 365 stores across the U.S., but no others in Washington.

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