Retailers Are Using Lease Clauses To Block Amazon's Future Plans For Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market has a Target on its back. 

As the largest tenant at City Center mall in San Francisco, Target Corp. has the ability to deny major changes made to the property that it believes will negatively impact its brand.

Target put a stop to talks about Whole Foods Market joining the mall’s list of new tenants over fears of competition. Following failed negotiation attempts, Whole Foods may be forced to forfeit certain Amazon initiatives, including lockers that are installed for customers to pick up their e-commerce orders, Reuters reports.

This is not the first mall in which Amazon lockers have been banned.

Whole Foods stores set to open in Illinois and Florida that are near Targets have also been prevented from installing the lockers. Across the country, retailers are imposing restrictions on everything from the hours Whole Foods can use a loading dock to preventing it from selling Amazon goods such as electronics and toys.

While this experience may be new for Amazon and Whole Foods, reciprocal easement agreements have been an issue for landlords across the country for some time now as anchor tenants refuse property redevelopments, new tenants and more in an effort to protect their own sales during this time of flux. 

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Contractors Feel Squeeze As Prices Rise 7.4%, Backlog Shrinks

Brookfield, SWI Form $694M Multifamily Venture, Plan $500M In Sales

Moody's Warns Rising Heat, Water Scarcity Are Poised To Reshape Asset Values

Real Estate Has An AI Problem. A McKinsey Exec Says The Issue Isn't Tech

Time For A Change? What Data Centers Must Consider To Retrofit A Generator

With Data Centers Devouring Construction Materials, Mass Timber May Finally Have Its Moment

Ken Griffin Strikes $86M Palm Beach Real Estate Deal With Blackstone

ICE To Sell 3 Texas Warehouses After Detention Center Conversion Plan Dissolves

Fabletics To Add 25 New U.S. Storefronts

Trump Jr.-Backed Firm Launches Fund To Target $8B In Sun Belt Real Estate Deals

REPORT: JLL In Talks To Relocate Global Headquarters

Invesco Real Estate's Loan Origination Is Up 112% In 2026