Whole Foods leasing downtown Austin 40,000-SF office

AUSTIN – Whole Foods Market Inc., the Austin-based organic grocery giant, is leasing an additional 40,000 sf of office space in downtown as part of its expansion strategy.

The space will be leased at The Bowie, a mixed-use development near W. 5th St. and Bowie St., and company workers will move into the new location in 2015.

Currently, Whole Foods has about 280,000 sf in Austin office space. It also has five retail stores and operates its 200,000-sf headquarters from atop the company’s flagship store at 525 N. Lamar Blvd., across from the newly-acquired space at The Bowie.

The retailer also has a distribution center in East Austin totaling 143,000 sf.

Whole Foods employs 2,800 workers in Central Texas, and has plans to expand from its current 350-store portfolio to 500 by 2017.

Read more at the Austin American-Statesman.