Accelerating grocery retail: How CM&B powers Whole Foods Market’s urban expansion - by Mark Skawinski

In today’s fast-paced retail landscape, speed to market is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. Whole Foods Market’s new 10,000 s/f small-format concept, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, is a strategic response to shifting consumer expectations and the complexities of urban retail. At the center of this initiative is a powerful partnership between CM&B, BRR Architecture, and Henderson Engineers, three firms with deep experience in grocery development and a focus on collaborative delivery.

Together, these teams have implemented a collaborative approach that’s transforming how grocery stores are developed in dense urban environments. The Daily Shop program, with three pilot locations in N.Y.C., offers a compelling case study in how early engagement, structured processes, and repeatable frameworks can fast-track timelines without compromising quality or budget.

Building Certainty in an Uncertain Landscape
As the construction management firm tasked with managing the build-out of the three N.Y.C. pilot locations, CM&B’s approach is disciplined and repeatable. From pre-development through turnover, every phase is guided by a framework that aligns costs with budgets, streamlines approvals, and ensures a predictable path to opening day.

This proactive approach starts with early site assessments and high-level budgeting to surface risks and opportunities before a lease is finalized and design begins. Once a lease is signed, milestone budget reviews and a transparent subcontractor bidding process keep all partners aligned. During construction, CM&B’s field teams maintain strict adherence to schedule and quality benchmarks to deliver consistency across locations.

This method is particularly valuable in urban environments, where permitting, logistics, and landlord coordination can quickly derail even the best-laid plans. By engaging design and engineering teams at the outset, we can collectively anticipate issues before they arise, protecting both schedule and budget.

The Daily Shop: 

Collaboration in Motion
In high-density urban environments where every square foot counts, launching the Daily Shop concept demanded precision at every level. Compact, high-traffic stores in N.Y.C. required strategic site selection, efficient layouts, creative sequencing, and strong coordination with landlords, city agencies, and neighboring tenants.

Each site presented unique challenges with aging infrastructure, tight footprints, and complex permitting. Locations that abutted residential buildings added another level of complexity. Our team took a proactive approach by developing strict construction hours and tenant protection plans and implementing extensive noise mitigation strategies.

From day one, CM&B and our design and engineering partners navigated these complexities as a team. Design decisions were rooted in construction realities, and build strategies evolved in tandem with design intent. The result: faster approvals, fewer change orders, and efficient delivery across all three pilot locations. 

Why Early Engagement Changes Everything
The Daily Shop rollout reinforces a core CM&B principle: projects succeed when key stakeholders are involved from the start. Whole Foods Market’s decision to bring the full team together early set the foundation for success.

Early collaboration led to smarter site selection, with locations vetted for both operational viability and development feasibility. It also enabled proactive landlord coordination, ensuring lease terms supported the design vision and construction schedule. Most importantly, it compressed the timeline. With design and construction teams working together, decisions were made faster, and potential issues were resolved before they could become roadblocks.

Beyond Grocery: 

A Blueprint for the Future
Looking ahead to 2026, CM&B is teaming up with clients across a variety of industries to bring our construction management model to fit their latest projects. Clients from science & technology campuses to academic institutions, immersive hospitality venues, automotive retail establishments, retail centers, and more all benefit from a similar formula: engage early, align stakeholders, and execute with precision.

Mark Skawinski is a project executive at CM&B, Manhattan, N.Y.