In all, Whole Foods has 2.6 million sf of space underdevelopment, a 61% increase from the square footage the company hadin the pipeline during the same period last year. The 53 storesunder development are up from the 35 the natural goods grocer wasplanning last year.

Executives also said the retailer could soon announce its firstWhole Foods store in central London. At the beginning of the yearthe company acquired the seven-store UK-based chain Fresh &Wild for $20 million, but those units are just 5,000 sf to 7,000 sfin size, said AC Gallo, Whole Foods' co-president. "There isnothing in natural foods market over there I terms of having largerstores with very broad selections," he said.

During its last quarter the company opened stores in Princeton,NJ; Valencia, CA; and West Vancouver, BC. Whole Foods signed leasesin the existing markets of Denver; Long Island, NY; New York City;Sacramento, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Seattle; and Tustin, CA. Theretailer also signed a lease in a new market, Greenville, SC.