WHOLE FOODS IN LONDON

can anyone tell me how does whole foods in london compare to the ones in the usa......im having severe anxiety that i wont be able to get my personal care items and the foods i love so much

The Whole Foods in London is wonderful.   What are you looking for that you are afraid you wont be able to get?

I wouldn't worry. The Kensington Whole Foods is massive.  My friend who works in a Whole Foods in DC was hugely impressed by it. 

I don't want to worry anyone but I read in the newspaper at the weekend that Wholefoods in the UK is not doing too well financially, because no-one can afford to shop there!!!

I have to say, and I do mean this kindly, if you're counting on being able to recreate your life in the US over here, it's going to be 10 times harder.... I personally would say you should at least try to throw yourself into living here - take some joy in finding new things and substitutes for US stuff rather than focusing on what you miss. Just my two pence, FWIW....

I'm not surprised Britwife. I found it terribly expensive and that was before the recession really hit. It is a really nice store though.

I love Whole Foods. 

I read an article last week about the owner/founder.  He feels that they are getting away from the original idea and wants to sell only healthy products.

So no more fatty cheeses/baked goods/sodas.  I am sure that will go over well.  I am not sure what exactly he plans to stock the stores with.  I assume that there is a board of directors that will shut him down, because I seriously don't see how they would stay in business. 

This isn't the exact article, but what would Whole Foods be without the bakery?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5978809/Whole-Foods-boss-We-sell-a-bunch-of-junk.html 

I have to say, and I do mean this kindly, if you're counting on being able to recreate your life in the US over here, it's going to be 10 times harder.... I personally would say you should at least try to throw yourself into living here - take some joy in finding new things and substitutes for US stuff rather than focusing on what you miss. Just my two pence, FWIW....

This should be a message that automatically gets emailed to everyone who registers for UKY!! 

I went to Whole Foods right after arriving here last November -- it was Thanksgiving Day, we'd moved to London less than a week earlier and I was feeling all out of sorts and desperate for something familiar. 

The spirit and atmosphere of the store felt very familiar, but it's definitely not chock full of US-specific stuff.  You'll be disappointed if that's what you're expecting.  As everyone else has said, it's massive and wonderful and expensive (that felt familiar, too!) and worth a trip just for the food p0rn.   

I did leave with turkey, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin bread for what we now refer to as our most expensive turkey dinner ever (per ounce)!  At the time, it was well worth it for the cheer-up.

thanks for all the replies......my bf did tell me that whole foods was not doing very well.........but that seems to be the current situation for everyone nowadays.

im surely not trying to replicate my life in the usa...if i were then i would just stay here......im looking forward to trying new things and starting a new adventure in life....im just trying to find a place that will possibly carry a few items i need to maintain my health.......i would certainly much rather support the community than have to ship these items in.

thanks for all the feedback
looking forward to checking it out in november

You may find some of the same items or something similar at other natural remedy/health food shops, like Holland & Barrett or Neal's Yard.

Holland and Barret is really a cool place. I recently went on the Robin Quivers detox diet and the lady at the H&B was able to recreate it with UK products.

yea my bf said that there is a h/b in birmingham.......im coming for a visit oct 31st so im gonna be checking all this stuff out.....that is if i dont get lost on the busline.....lol