Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market

The Denver, Colorado-based owner of a Portsmouth shopping plaza says it has signed Whole Foods Market as its latest tenant.

Black Creek Group will lease 42,000 square feet in the 135,000-square-foot Durgin Square Shopping Center at 1600 Woodbury Ave. to the high-end grocery chain for its latest outpost. The location was previously long the home of a Shaw’s supermarket, which closed last year.

The store will be Whole Foods’ first on the Seacoast. It currently operates locations in Nashua and at the Market & Main development in Bedford.

This marks Whole Foods’ second try at opening a store in the city after pulling out of the North End Portsmouth project when its developer ran into a thicket of delays and legal challenges.

“Whole Foods Market opening its third New Hampshire location is an exciting addition to the community and we are happy to partner with the retailer as it’s known for high‐quality products, exceptional customer service and innovation within the industry,” Mike Moran, Black Creek Group’s vice president, retail acquisitions and asset management, said in a statement. “Additionally, the completion of this lease not only shows the demand for well‐located retail, but it fits within Black Creek’s strategy of providing neighborhoods with access to high‐quality tenants that serve their needs.”

Following the completion of this lease, the retail center has approximately 9,000 square feet of available space.

“We’re excited to expand our presence in New Hampshire and bring Whole Foods Market to Durgin Square,” Rick Bonin, President of Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic Region, said in a statement. “We look forward to becoming part of the vibrant Portsmouth community and providing customers with access to deliciousfood and great products that all meet Whole Foods Market’s unparalleled quality standards.”

Black Creek Group was represented in the transaction by Ben Starr of Atlantic Retail and Whole Foods Market was represented by Scott Black of Dartmouth Cos.