The US food retailer Whole Foods has just opened its relocated store in Piccadilly in central London.

With a single large floor and a mezzanine with a balcony that affords views from the cafe to the scene below, the relocated Whole Foods Market on Glasshouse Street, around the corner from Piccadilly, is busy and looks to have an assortment that will find favour with local Soho shoppers. Open since the 22nd May, the store welcomes customers from 7.30am and appeared to be doing a heavy breakfast trade from the off this morning.

As a cross between a New York deli and an outsize convenience store, the bulk of the shopping action takes place on the large ground floor, where shoppers can choose between food to go and ingredients for an evening meal. As well as fresh food, there is a heavy emphasis on chilled ambient produce, housed within an environment that borrows heavily from fashion stores for its lighting and trendy independents for its recycled materials palette. Upstairs, a long balcony forms the edge of the cafe area. This floor also contains books, vitamin and health pillls and a range of homeopathic remedies.

The store’s location on Glasshouse Street puts its at the heart of a new shopping destination under development with Nespresso and Lotus (cars) both in the throes of fitting out stores and an an Ugg flagship at its end, which opened this morning.