Whole Foods, an anchor tenant of the massive Whittaker complex on Fauntleroy Way SW has announced they will not follow through on the construction of a West Seattle store. In a statement from the company they said, "As part of a careful evaluation of our growth strategy, Whole Foods Market has decided to delay indefinitely the opening of our West Seattle store. We look forward to continuing to serve Seattle with our three other area locations: Interbay, Roosevelt Square, and South Lake Union.”

The lease was for a 41,000 square foot space from the owner Weingarten Realty who issued a statement saying they are "actively working with Whole Foods to find a replacement for the space Whole Foods leased at the Whittaker. We currently have several prospects interested but cannot make an announcement at this time.:"

Whole Foods has been struggling of late witnessing a 3 percent traffic decline over the last 18 months and has lost traffic the last six consecutive quarters..