Eataly Aims to Eat Up More Grocery Share

One of the fastest-growing and most popular specialty grocers in America and the world is getting bigger.

Eataly, the Italian grocery chain that offers groceries, restaurants, cafés, bars and a variety of educational food experiences all under one roof, has revealed plans to open a new 51,000-square-foot store at Westfield Valley Fair in San José, Calif., in 2021.

This Eataly location will be the second in the state of California and will mark the ninth North American location of the Italian company, which has 40 stores worldwide.

The new Silicon Valley location is part of Eataly’s aggressive growth strategy of two openings per year with a focus on North America and Europe. Since 2007, the company has gone from one location in Italy to 40 locations across 11 countries in 2019, and has plans to go public in the future. 2020 will mark 10 years since its U.S. entry, in New York City.

“We are excited to bring Eataly to one of the most important economic regions of the world in 2021," said Nicola Farinetti, global CEO of the Alba, Italy-based retailer. "Eataly Silicon Valley will expose the Bay Area to the highest-quality authentic Italian food, products, wine and culture through all our offerings. At Eataly, we encourage our customers to shop what they eat and eat what they shop – it is the best way to immerse yourself in our 'Eat, Shop, Learn' philosophy. At Eataly Silicon Valley, we will import many of our products from Italy – like olive oil and dry pasta – while also making it a priority to work with local producers from Northern California.”