Whole Foods Wants to Help Decorate Your Next Party

If you’re about to throw a birthday party or barbecue, normally you might head to Whole Foods to buy the food and cake, and then to another store like Target or Party City for fun party hats and confetti. But now Whole Foods is upping its party game with the help of a six-year-old startup called Packed Party.

In late August, just in time for your Labor Day party, Whole Foods stores across the country will be outfitted with a new section featuring Packed Party products. You’ll be able to buy colorful disposable dining sets, as well as tons more party supplies, including decorative banners, celebratory cupcake kits, and drinkware. In keeping with Whole Foods’ sustainable ethos, all of these items will be recyclable.

Until now, the party department at Amazon-owned Whole Foods was fairly rudimentary, with paper plates and plastic forks. But now, the grocer is competing with the bigger party supply retailers and making it easier to be a one stop shop for customers about to throw an event. Packed Party, which began online, has a particular aesthetic, which includes lots of rainbows and confetti. It’s likely to appeal to the urban millennial crowd that shops at Whole Foods.