Gelson’s has signed a long-term lease to become the retail anchor tenant at West Edge, a transit-oriented, mixed-use development situated within the heart of West Los Angeles. Gelson’s will occupy 36,000 square feet of space on the plaza level of the seven-story residential building. The supermarket is anticipated to open in early 2023.
West Edge will be a live, work, play development in West Los Angeles offering a luxury living experience centered around an office and retail environment. The destination will feature 600 units of residential including on-site apartments for employees plus eight restaurants, a half-acre open-air plaza with al fresco dining and amenities that will contribute to the vibrant local community and help transform the neighborhood.
“Securing a retail anchor of Gelson’s caliber is a true testament to our place-making plan and is a tremendous statement about this iconic project and the need for new, modern and efficient mixed-use space in West Los Angeles,” said Varun Akula, managing director at Hines. “We are very excited to welcome Gelson’s to West Edge and look forward to adding more tenants to continue to enhance the amenities at the project.”
Founded in 1951, Gelson’s prides itself on offering a full-service specialty grocery and prepared foods experience that features the full amenities of a traditional supermarket, with the local flavor and personalized, knowledgeable service of a neighborhood market. With more than 25 stores across Southern California and 70 years of experience, Gelson’s in-house experts know Southern California’s lifestyle and are driven to find only the best foods and exclusive values for their customers.
“Since PPIH purchased Gelson’s in February, we’ve been excited to expand the brand to more neighborhoods with a demand for high quality foods. This development, located between our Century City and Santa Monica stores, will be a perfect example of this expansion and a great, convenient option for our West LA customers,” said Rob McDougall, president and CEO of Gelson’s.
The Gelson’s at West Edge store will feature an emphasis on fresh food across a broad spectrum, including grass-fed beef, organic and non-GMO items, local products and vegan, vegetarian and raw food options. The full-service kitchen will offer signature chef-prepared creations featuring healthful salads from Gelson’s registered dietitian.
Gelson’s at West Edge will include a soup and salad bar, hot food bar, fresh sushi and poke bar, gourmet cheese kiosk, carving station and bakery with coffee bar, floral department, custom and ready-made gift baskets. In addition, the store will feature one of Gelson’s Wine, Craft Beer and Tapas bars in addition to supporting options for grocery pickup and delivery along with Gelson’s Kitchen Meals to Go program.
The 4.8-acre site is the former home to the Martin Cadillac dealership and sits at the corner of Bundy Drive and Olympic Boulevard, less than one block from the Expo/Bundy Metro station which connects downtown Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles. The site is located within half a mile of the 10 Freeway and within one mile of the 405 freeway, in close proximity to pockets of executive housing within Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood and Pacific Palisades.
