Situation Analysis For Whole Foods Markets

Situation Analysis for Whole Foods Markets
To: Professor Smith
From: Londa May
Date: March 1, 2010
Re: Requested Situation Analysis for Whole Foods Markets
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
In response to your request for a thorough analysis of the strategic position of Whole Foods
Markets, and the industry in which it operates, an analysis has been performed and the results can be
found below. In conclusion, a recommendation for Whole Foods Markets, based on the analysis,
will be given.
Internal Analysis Fundamentals and Core Values of Whole Foods Markets
The cornerstone of Whole Food's strategy is to carry the highest quality, lowest ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
The team approach promoted strong corporate culture and a work environment where team
members could flourish, build a career, and reach their highest potential. Team members are
motivated and inspired by Whole Foods' strategic vision. The process for bringing in a new team
member was thorough and the whole team at a store is involved. Team leaders at each store receive
a salary and a possible bonus based on EVA (Economic Value Added), a system Whole Foods used
to measure performance. In 2004, 86% of employees said they enjoyed their job and 82% felt
empowered to do their best work at Whole Foods Markets. Whole Foods Markets offered gain–
sharing programs to reward team members according to the store's contribution to Whole Foods
operating profit (additional 5–7% of team members wages). Whole Foods encouraged stock
ownership through three programs: A team member stock option plan (based on job performance
and length of time employed at Whole Foods), a team member stock purchase plan (based on
purchasing stock at 95% of market price), and a team member 401 (k) plan. To maintain high
customer service all team members are continuously evaluated and take place in competitions
against other Whole Foods Markets in that region. In 2007, around 750 team members were on the
EVA–based incentive compensation program. EVA calculations were used to measure profitability
and encouraged and motivated team members to succeed.
* Creating wealth through

... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

The Whole Foods Market For Organic Foods And Encouraging...
Whole Foods Markets has been recognized as a leader in creating the modern market for organic
foods and encouraging suppliers to meet standards for humane treatment of farm animals. They have
also been in the news for violating Labor Laws in 2006. The company altered its sick–leave policy,
froze wage increases, refused to provide information to the union that was necessary to negotiate a
contract, and 'harassed and disciplined employees. Furthermore, they fired two truck drivers because
they voted to unionize with the Teamsters. Investigators of National Labor Relations Act (NLRB)
had found that the company engaged in a variety of [illegal] retaliatory measures to discourage
union activity. An out–of–court settlement required Whole Foods ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Sociocultural Whole Foods Markets is more focused on environmentally and healthy foods since
consumers have become more health–conscious about what they eat. For example, Whole Foods
announced that all food products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate whether
they contain genetically modified organisms (GMO). This would be done through out all stores by
2018. Currently, the company offers over 25,000 certified organic items and about 8,500 non–GMO
Project Verified products in its stores. The company has been requiring its meat, dairy, egg and
farmed seafood suppliers to verify whether or not animals were fed GMO corn, soy or alfalfa. Their
initiative will require products based on or containing GMO risk ingredients to be labeled by
manufacturers (GMO). Technological During a March 12, 2012 Conference, Walter Robb, co–chief
executive officer of Whole Foods, stated in his presentation at the UBS Global Consumer
Conference in Boston that retail and technology are completely intertwined now, and customers are
newly empowered through technology in all sorts of ways. The two initiatives for Whole Food
Market are enterprise systems and customer–facing technology. As a first initiative, Whole Foods is
working to create a unified point–of–sale platform that will seamlessly enable mobile and digital
shopping. For customer–facing technology, Whole Foods's checkout process helps customers to buy
a few items from in–store

Whole Foods Market Inc.
Whole Foods Market Inc. is a supermarket selling highest quality natural and organic food, was
founded by John Mackey in Austin, Texas in 1980. Whole Foods Market is leading the supermarket
industry worldwide, its recorded sales had reached $10,107.79 million in 2011 and it has expanded
more than 430 stores in the United states in 2015 (Whole Foods Market, 2015).
Website Overview
Whole Foods Market's main communication vehicle is their website, www.wholefoodsmarket.com.
Whole Foods Market has made its website attractive for promoting business and increasing sales by
providing product promotions, coupons, and company information. The website was developed as a
new version in 2008, and it had over 178,000 visitors each day in 2013 (Whole Foods Market,
2013).
Homepage Structure
Whole Foods Market's website captures visitors' attention with highly visual and inspirational
shopping experience. You will find it surprising that Whole Foods Market using so many food
pictures with highly quality on its homepage. It indeed attracts visitors' attention in the first place
and draw them to the further steps. Furthermore, for designing a convenient use of the website,
Whole Foods Market provides easy accesses to channels, like promotions, with the information that
customers concern about most.
There are three categories of tabs at the top of the website. The "FIND THE STORE" (1) helps
visitors to find the nearest store with detailed store information with simply typing zip

Whole Food Market: Whole Foods Pricing Strategy
Whole Foods' "product" is composed of two key concepts: physical organic goods and a healthy
organic lifestyle. All goods sold at Whole Foods Market are organic, and there are various events
hosted at individual locations that feature cooking classes and nutrition seminars. "By providing
healthy eating education we inspire and empower our stakeholders to make the best...food choices to
maximize health and vitality" ("We Promote," n.d.). This provides a unique added benefit for its
customers. In this way, it delivers value, both in the product offering of numerous healthy food
substitutes and in the care that the company has for its patrons.
The competitive landscape of the organic food industry has changed drastically in recent years.
According ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Adjusting the pricing strategy and targeting key demographics will help to increase Whole Foods'
market share in the organic industry. If instituted successfully, consumers will be able to choose
which experience they would prefer: either a larger atmosphere with a greater selection and supply
or a cheaper, smaller environment in which popular food items are available at a lower cost. This
can satisfy both those who are interested but on a budget and the loyal customers who have high
disposable income that is used to purchase premium organic products without regard for price.
The short–term outcome of this plan is to win the organic race and saturate the market by targeting
multiple demographics simultaneously. By initiating the new 365 locations, Whole Foods is diving
into a new market, and if both concepts can be successfully managed and maintained, this strategy
can solidify the company as the leader in the ever–growing organic food industry.
In the long–term, this pricing strategy will help Whole Foods become the industry standard in the
organic market. It may prevent its competitors from gaining increasingly higher market share
because of the two pricing differentiations. Customers will be able to choose to shop at either store
based on the criteria of lower price and atmosphere. This can convince the public that Whole Foods
is aware of its past pricing faults while allowing its loyal customer base to continue shopping at

Essay on Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market: 2010 How to Grow in An Increasingly Competitive Market?
Patricia Harasta and Alan N. Hoffman
A Case Study Analysis
Antonia Jackson
MBA
Dr. Pamela Barnes
13 October 2013
I. Introduction
Whole Foods Market is one of the biggest organic and natural whole food suppliers in the world.
They provide a wide variety of select foods that are without hormones or antibiotics and are stamped
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's stamp of approval. They value the fact that they can
provide people with access to healthy food and be identified with being socially and
environmentally responsible.
II. History
Whole Foods Market started off as being Safer Way natural grocery store in 1978. However they
were not ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A weakness that Whole Foods have is their reputation. A reputation for a grocer is key to its survival
and they have the reputation of being very expensive or some call it "whole paycheck."
a.ii) External Environment
One of the biggest external environmental threats against Whole Foods is increases in domestic
competition. At its inception Whole Foods was one of the only providers of organic foods. However
now there are many rivals who have taken apart of this ever going interest in our society for better
living. Stores such as Wal–Mart and Target have joined the bandwagon of providing their customers
with organic foods. With many stores now offering organic foods this has put a dent in the
availability of organic foods in other words has shorten the supply of organic foods to Whole Foods.
Another external environmental threat was the economy. When the economy went down during the
recession many people had to make tough choices when it came to their finances and one of the
biggest things that were changed was the amount that they spent on groceries. Many people just
simply deemed natural organic foods as being expensive and not a necessity. A major opportunity
that Whole Foods have embraced was that during the recession Whole Foods recognized that they
need to make adjustments decrease the overall prices. Another major opportunity that they need to
embrace is marketing the necessity of whole organic foods. Letting people know that eating right is
vital to

Whole Foods : The Biggest Organic Food Market
Whole foods is the U.S's biggest organic food market which has seen unsurmountable success
because of its unique organizational setup and its cutting edge business model. Whole foods unique
leadership structure and management style of its CEO, John Mackey, are large contributors to its
success; along with the business core values. One would wonder, if such a radical culture can me
maintained throughout the long run and if it's so successful, why it wouldn't work in my
organization. Has Whole foods found the game changing formula to management?
Briefly describe the organization.
Whole foods is a natural/organic food market who has developed a "game changing business model
which is wrapped inside an even more iconoclastic management model" (Hamel, 2007). Whole
Foods business and management models creates a competitive work environment that fosters care,
trust and innovation. Because of the unique organization and management Whole Foods Market,
Inc. is the largest natural–foods grocer in the United States with more than 360 stores in the U. S.,
Canada and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods 2013 annual sales were $12.9 billion, with an
operating profit of $893 million and cash flow of 472 million.
What makes Whole Foods successful?
Whole Foods has seen successful because of multiple different reasons. The first and foremost
would be their business model and the principles under which their management operates. They
have self–self–directed teams, empower their employees, care

Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market, Inc. A. SIC/NAICS #'s – The SIC number for Whole Foods Market, Inc. is
5411, which implies grocery stores. The NAICS number for Whole Foods is 445110, which means
supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores. (Mergent Online) B. Mission
Statement – Barbara Farfan who writes for about.com states, "The mission statement of the Whole
Foods Company and Whole Foods Markets begins with its motto, which is "Whole Foods, Whole
People, Whole Planet" The Whole Foods mission explains and defines what that motto means. This
mission explanation includes..."Whole Foods – We obtain our products locally and from all over the
world, often from small, uniquely dedicated food artisans. Whole People – We recruit the best ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We work with our supplier partners in eliminating all unnecessary production and distribution costs
to help ensure the best possible price." Whole Foods also believes that their customers are their most
important stakeholders and that by firstly satisfying their customers; they can then satisfy the needs
of their other stakeholders. Whole Foods intends to excite their customers by providing
extraordinary customer service, educating their customers about natural and organic foods and
provide inviting store environments. Additionally, Whole Foods uses their sales and marketing to
grab the attention of their niche target market. Whole Foods specifically advertises in health and
fitness magazine and places their billboards in strategic areas with a high traffic of fitness/healthy
eating minded customers. G. Industry Analysis – The supermarket and grocery store industry is
maintaining throughout the economic crisis that America is currently experiencing. As stated by the
Market Report of "Grocery Stores", "The industry fared well during the economic recession of the
late 2000s, as more Americans chose to eat at home rather than go out. During this time grocery
stores focused on providing economical food choices for cash–strapped consumers." However, as
the economy continues to improve, more people may choose to eat out which could cause the
industry to marginally suffer. Additionally, Supermarketnews.com states, "...the 75

Whole Foods Market
Case Study: Whole Foods Market 2006: Mission, Core Values and Strategy
1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing?
Founder John Mackey strongly believed in Whole Foods' mission to be very selective about store
inventory, sticking to the company's core values and ensuring that customers had an enjoyable and
interactive shopping experience, while keeping with planned strategies that have set them apart from
their competitors. Store Development and Growth Strategy: Prior to 2002, Whole Foods' strategy for
expansion meant the acquisition of smaller, similar chains. The obstacle here was that acquisitions
proved to be very limiting in square footage as well as location. Since 2002, Whole ... Show more
Whole Foods actually stands behind their motto by obtaining the highest quality foods possible
("Whole Foods"), by employing qualified individuals through a strict hiring and screening process
("Whole People"), and by being socially and globally responsible through partnering with organic
suppliers and not–for–profit organizations. This motto is specific in it's purpose and not vague or
general in any way.
4. Do Whole Foods Market 's core values as presented in case exhibit 3 really matter? Are they
"real" or just cosmetic window dressing? What evidence can you cite to support your answer? Have
Whole Foods ' core values contributed to the company 's success? Why or why not?
Whole Foods' core values are indeed sincere, especially where a sense of community is concerned.
For example, Whole Foods sponsors the program, "Whole Planet Foundation" where small loans are
granted to individuals in impoverished areas of the world to start a small business utilizing a special
skill or trade; Whole Foods also assists with financing low–interest loans to local farmers to ensure
their continued livelihood to provide locally grown produce and livestock; Whole Foods also
participates in their annual "5% Day", where 5% of the day's net profit from each store is donated to
a chosen local non–profit charity. Whole Foods does not limit their motto and core values just to
print – they are proactive in what they believe in.
5. How well

Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM) was founded in Austin, Texas and is a supermarket chain
concentrating in organic and natural foods. John Mackey, Rene Lawson Hardy, Craig Weller. The
first store opened on September 20, 1980. Whole Foods Markets are located in the United States,
Canada and the United Kingdom. Since 1980, Whole Foods Market has remained committed to
upholding their missions and values within their company. Whole Foods Market's motto–"Whole
Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet–emphasizes that our vision reaches beyond food retailing"
(Whole Foods Market, 2014). Whole Foods Market has committed as an organization in "helping
support the health, well–being, and healing of both people–customers, Team Members, and business
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Whole Foods Market believes that the operation of a company should exceed beyond profits and
focus on creating values and relationships within their communities. Whole Foods Market is
"currently the 8th largest public food and drug retailer in the U.S., ranking #232 on the Fortune 500"
(Whole Foods Market Annual Report, 2013). Food retailing has gained more competiveness over
the years. Whole Foods Market, has been awarded, "America's Healthiest Grocery Store." Whole
Foods Market's "seek out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintain the strictest quality
standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture" (Whole
Foods Market Company Info, 2014). They believe that providing customers with natural and organic
products, they are giving customers the most nutritious food and the best tasty food as well. "The
quality of their foods is measured by nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste" (Whole Foods
Market Company Info, 2014). The company strives to create relationships and values within their
community and their Team Members. WFM allows their

Marketing Plan For Whole Foods Market
Team–Based Organizations Today's organizations need to focus on their internal customers by
promoting team–based cultures. An effective team–based organization will succeed when they
collaborate with their team members. Therefore, effective teams value one another, set common
goals, and foster a culture where appreciation is expressed openly with other team members
(Duggan, n.d.). Creating a teamwork approach results in loyalty, trust, and cohesiveness, this leads
to increased productivity for the organization (Duggan, n.d.) Achieving a team–based organization
starts with the leaders characteristics. These characteristics should include trust, team empowerment,
goal setting, team accountability, and shared leadership (Markovich, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Their team–based organization is made up of the following characteristics and leadership styles.
Characteristics and Leadership Styles The co–founder and CEO John Mackey, believes the most
important role he plays in the organization is "being seen." He visits each store and talks with the
team members and customers while communicating the mission of the company (Mackey, 2010).
He believes walking and talking the mission, which emphases the tune of the organization.
Therefore, without this leadership direction the company would not be successful in fostering
teamwork. The strategy Whole Foods uses is a combination of democracy and discipline (Fishman,
n.d.). They foster a sense of community while staying committed to productivity (Fishman, n.d.).
Self–Directed Teams The company focuses on having self–directed teams. Every individual belongs
to a team within the organization. The teams meet on a regular basis to discuss issues, solve
problems and to recognize one another's contributions. As the teams solve problems, they keep the
business objectives, values, and performance of the organization at the center of their discussions
(Cuenlla, 2013). The teams have the power to approve new hires. This hiring process affects the
behavior of everyone involved especially the store leaders, as they only recommend potential
candidates that the team will approve. This builds trust between the team members and
management. The

Whole Foods Market ( Wfm ) Essay
Whole Foods Market (WFM) is a leading natural and organic food supermarket founded in Austin,
Texas by four local business people: John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy, owners of Safer Way
Natural Foods, and Craig Weller and Mark Skiles, owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery. WFM
opened its first store in 1980, they staffed their first store with only 19 workers, the store was an
immediate success partly because at the time there were less than half a dozen organic stores in the
entire country. The original WFM store opened on September in 1980 after Safer Way and
Clarksville Natural Foods partnered, the 10,500 square feet location was quite larger than the
standard health food store of the 80's. The business had its first hiccup a year after they opened their
doors, their entire inventory was lost and most of the equipment was damaged by a historic flood
that devastated the city of Austin. The owners did not have insurance but they were able to quickly
get back on their feet due to the volunteered help of neighbors and customers as well as the help of
creditors, vendors, and investors who provided breathing room for them. The store reopened just
after 28 days of the flood. The expansion of the business happened quickly in the late 80's. New
locations appeared in Houston and Dallas, then New Orleans. In 1989, WFM expanded to the West
Coast and opened a store in Palo Alto, CA. WFM started acquiring several different natural foods
chains such as Wellspring Grocery of

Whole Foods Markets : Business And Society
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY
Whole Foods Markets
Business and Society
Mohammed Abujabal, Audrey Bingaman, Michael Fassl, Alyssa Marshall, Sarah McCaw, Courtney
Reiley
April 20, 2015
Company History
The origin of Whole Foods Market began as a small natural food store under the name Safer Way
Natural Foods in Austin, Texas, in 1980. As interest in the natural food movement quickly grew,
Safer Way soon merged with another local natural grocer. This union was called Whole Foods
Market ("Newsroom," 2015). Though the company started with a mere 19 employees, attraction to
this new idea grew rapidly, and it was not long before the company began to build a chain of stores
through several acquisitions. Due to the increased interest in natural foods nationwide and very low
competition at the time, Whole Foods Market began acquiring food stores all over the nation
throughout the 1990s. By 2004, the company had expanded internationally to Canada and the UK
"Newsroom," 2015). Today the company has 414 stores in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom,
and approximately 88,000 team members ("Newsroom," 2015).
Brand Development and Company Growth
Product Development. Though Whole Foods Market began as a company dedicated to solely
providing natural foods free of preservatives and other harmful agents, this came at a cost. Shopping
at Whole Foods on a continual basis quickly got very expensive for most. With this in mind, Whole
Foods decided to launch their own more

Whole Food Markets Case Analysis Essay
The Running Head: GROUP CASE ANALYSIS WEEK 6 Group Case Analysis WEEK 6 Whole
Foods Markets, Inc. Executive Summary: Existing mission, objectives, and strategies: According to
Strategic Management Concepts and Cases, written by F. David, Whole Food Market, Inc.'s current
mission statement is as follows, "to promote the vitality and well–being of all individuals by
supplying the highest quality, most wholesome foods available" (David, 2011, p. 74). David also
points out that Whole Food Market Inc.'s operating motto is as follows, "Whole Foods, Whole
People, Whole Planet" (David, 2011, p. 75). As a food distributor, many of Whole Food Market
Inc.'s objectives are ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
stores to sell locally grown produce, which benefits local economies (Whole Food Market, 2011).
Lastly, Whole Food Market Inc. strives to create a positive, enjoyable working environment for its
employees (Whole Food Market, 2011). By doing so, employees provide quality work for the
company, and a better shopping experience is achieved for customers. According to David, 92% of
the company's employees are full time employees of Whole Food Market Inc., and full time
employees are qualified to receive free health insurance through Whole Food Market Inc. (David,
2011). Likewise, full time employees are also offered a dental plan, vision care, gym memberships,
a store discount, and among other things, paid time off (Whole Food market, 2011). It can be noted
that Whole Food Market Inc. utilizes a vast array of unique, effective strategies to meet their
objectives, and accomplish their mission statement. New Mission Statement: SWOT(TOWS)
Analysis: |Competitive Profile Matrix: | | EFE Matrix: IFE Matrix: |Internal Factor Evaluation
Matrix | |Whole Foods | |Key Internal

Whole Foods Markets
Abstract
This paper examines the published case study Whole Foods Markets, 2005: Will There Be Enough
Organic Food to Satisfy the Growing Demand? (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2007, p. C534).
Although the published study addresses numerous aspects of Whole Foods Market's business as a
leading international retailer of "natural" organic foods, the analysis provided herein is focused on
Whole Foods Market's ability to meet future growth demands. This paper explores Whole Foods
Market's basic internal environment with subsequent application of Porter's Five Forces Model of
Competition followed by a related Strength–Weakness–Opportunities–Threats (SWOT)
breakdown...all used to determine critical market success factors and looming challenges ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Whole Foods has also invested in modern information systems which have enabled the company to
promote efficient communications (described in more detail below). With a well established and
accepted vision, mission and market strategy, Whole Foods' organization appears cohesive and has
maintained its core business focus throughout its remarkable growth and expansion. Physical
Resources With 270 retail locations each ranging from 45,000 to 75,000 square feet, nine
distribution centers, five commissaries, nine regional bake–houses and subsidiaries whose
operations encompass coffee production, seafood processing and produce field inspections, Whole
Foods has substantial capital investment in plant and property totaling over $1.6 billion (Whole
Foods 1, n.d., p. 1) and (MSN Money, 2008, p. 3). Whole Foods also boast a sophisticated
distribution system with retail outlets targeting affluent urban areas with higher income and
education demographics. Technical Resources Whole Foods has made significant investments in
technology to support operations and connectivity in all facets of its business units. In 2003, Whole
Foods signed a 3–year multi–million dollar contract

Essay On Whole Foods Market
Target Customers:
Whole foods Market targets people who are more interested in consuming high quality organic
foods and living a healthy lifestyle. They want natural and organic foods and are willing to pay
higher prices for that. They live in urban areas and are comparatively wealthy. Whole foods Market
provides a lot of options for them and a memorable consumer experience when they shop for food.
It makes sure to attract these people. In addition to this, to target average consumers it has
introduced 365 everyday value offering products at reduced prices.
Fairway targets all the urban class people. Though it does offer organic foods, it doesn't specialize in
that niche. It doesn't employ knowledgeable employees who can increase the sales of the organic
foods it offers.
Advertising:
Whole Foods Market advertises itself as "America's Healthiest Store" and has maintained that
reputation for several years now. It also launched its first multichannel National Brand campaign
with the slogan "Values Matter" to highlight the quality of their foods. To boost its advertising
strategy, it collaborated with GSD & M and placed its products in TV shows like "Modern Family"
and during the World Series and NFL football too. In addition to this it runs ads in most of the
Lifestyle, Food and Health magazines (paper and online). Also, product samples are displayed
throughout their stores.
Its social media strategy propagates across 6 different social platforms including Twitter, Facebook,

Whole Food Market: The Rise And Fall Of The Whole Foods...
Whole Foods Market is a chain of supermarkets that was founded in Austin, Texas in 1980 with the
idea of selling higher quality, less processed products. Their first store in New Orleans opened in
1984, and since that time they have expanded to include 479 stores throughout the United States,
Canada, and the United Kingdom. The high standards that Whole Foods has put in place and
preference for selling USDA–certified organic foods have helped position the company as an
ecologically and environmentally responsible grocer and has allowed them to stand out among their
competitors. Although April of 2017 saw reports of declining sales for the sixth quarter in a row,
Amazon.com announced that they would purchase Whole Foods that June. The acquisition

Whole Foods Market Overview
Whole Foods Market Background Whole Foods Market is an American based retail–chain grocery
store. They strictly sell both natural and organic food, offering a variety of products. "Natural" refers
to food that is free of growth hormones or antibiotics, while "certified organic" food must meet the
standards of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Whole Foods Market is the leading retailer
in the natural and organic foods, with 193 stores in 31 states, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
With Whole Foods Market being the first retailer in the business, they never really had to worry
about competition. However, with the trends changing and people wanting to eat healthier and have
healthier lifestyles, the popularity of the natural and organic products have increased. This means
that Whole Foods Market's competition is growing because different stores are catering to the
consumers' wants. So, since Whole Foods Market is the leading market retailer, how are they going
to continue to grow in an increasingly competitive market? This question can be simply answered:
they will be able to continue to grow because of their strategic plan.
Combating an Increasing Competitive Market A strategic plan will basically layout the goals and the
general direction of what the company wants to accomplish. A great way to analyze a strategic plan
is a strategic audit. A strategic audit is a checklist of questions about a certain aspect of the company
or issue that triggers a deeper analysis

Whole Foods : The Whole Food Markets Essay
"Whole Food Markets" Week #6 If you were to ask people if they enjoy going to work on Monday, I
am sure most of them would give you a funny look, and say "No". Americans dislike of their jobs is
very evident. To see the magnitude of this just look on social media. On Fridays, there are vast
amounts of thank god it's Friday (TGIF) memes indicating how happy they are that they are done
with work for the week. Many American simply do not enjoy working. However, a select few
actually do. They enjoy their jobs and their co–workers. Sure, they may be far and few between, but
if you ask one of the 54,000 Whole Foods Markets employees you are sure to get a "Yes". If fact,
not only does Whole Foods Markets employees enjoy their work, their company is one of the top
100 companies to work for according to Fortune.com. What is so special about Whole Foods Market
that their employees actually enjoy their jobs, and what is makes them different from all the other
companies out there?
Well it might be their CEO's attitude toward them, his customers, and the products they sell. John
Mackey founder and CEO of Whole Food Markets believes that when you are a running a company
you have a responsibility to treat your employees right. He was once quoted as saying that "If you
are lucky enough to be someone's employer, then you have a moral obligation to make sure people
do look forward to coming to work in the morning" (Wright, 2016), and he has done just that. He
has taken this

Whole Foods Market Core Values
Whole Foods Market
The name of the company I will be discussing goes by the name of 'Whole Foods Market'." Whole
Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas, when four local business people decided the natural
foods industry was ready for a supermarket format" (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) . The four
persons who founded the company goes by the names: Craig Weller and Mark Siles who were
owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery along with John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy who were
owners of Safer Way Natural Foods. When Whole Foods Market was launched it quickly became a
success and has expanded and exploded to a number of States in the United States of America.
What impressed me about this particular company are the eight core values that they have ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This company has implemented so many different methods for going green, therefore I will be only
discussing two as follows; the first strategy is a slogan that is being used by the organization on a
regular basis called by the name; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. All the stores that the company has have
taken the initiative to reduce the impact we as human beings create on the earth by reducing paper
by going paper less, composting, using vegetable based inks etc. Reuse– this is done by reusing
materials whenever it becomes possible. The company provides the use of reusable grocery bags to
its customers, new stores are constructed with reclaimed wood and bricks and also the installation of
rain water collection systems to reuse rain water for non–consumable purposes is being practiced.
Recycle– this is done through the utilization of the delivery trucks which backhauls waste to
regional facilities where it is turned into compost and donated to community gardens or stores.
Other methods of recycling is done by replacing disposable batteries with rechargeable ones, using
recycled paper with a high percentage of post–consumer waste

The Company Whole Foods Market
For my individual assignment, I chose the company Whole Foods Market (WFM) which deals in
selling products that are organic and fresh to its customers. WFM was founded by John Mackey and
Renee Lawson Hardy, owners of Safer Way Natural Foods, and Craig Weller and Mark Skiles,
owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery in Austin, Texas where the original store opened in 1980 and
consisted of a staff of only 19 people. WFM was founded because those four local businesspeople
decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket format and at that time there were
less than half a dozen natural food supermarkets in the United States
(http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company–info/whole–foods–market–history). For the rest of
this paper, I will be going more in depth about the company's history and background, why I chose
this company, the organization's environment, mission, culture, and if the company will change or
needs to change.
As I mentioned WFM was originally created by four people who felt that it was a good time to
introduce a store that was all about natural foods. The first WFM opened on September 20, 1980 and
consisted of 10,500 square feet and a minimal staff. Less than a year later there was one of the worst
floods in Austin since 70 years ago at that time which caused the store's inventory to be whipped out
and a mass amount of the equipment was damaged. There was $400,000 worth of damage and WTF
has no insurance on the store. Customers and neighbors volunteered

Shanice Scott–Thurston November 30, 2015
Professor Jonathan Reiter Intermediate Acct 1
Whole Foods Market Inc. is an American supermarket chain specializing in organic food that
opened on Sept. 20, 1980, in Austin, Texas, its current headquarters. Whole Foods Market Inc. has
431 supermarkets among the United States, Canada, District of Columbia, and the United Kingdom.
Whole Foods Market has sales revenue of 15.39 billion, total assets of 5.74 billion, and a net income
of 536 million in the annual report of September 2015. Whole Foods Market's common stock is
traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under ticker symbol "WFM". Whole Foods Market's
primary products are organic and natural food products, including fresh and prepared meats, poultry
and seafood, canned and frozen foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and various dairy products. Whole
Foods Market Inc. is in the retail supermarket and grocery store industry, in which makes up the
largest food retail channel in the United States. The Supermarkets and Grocery Stores industry faces
a high amount of internal and external competition, particularly from large retailers like massive
warehouse stores and supercenters. The barriers to entry in this industry are the medium range, but
are increasing.
Whole Foods Market Inc.'s success is contributed to their quality standards, differentiated product
offerings, and their value campaign. Whole Foods Market Inc.'s high quality standards

INDUSTRY EVOLUTION
Whole Foods Market Inc. is a service provider in the grocery industry, which report in the US
economy under the North American Industry Classification System NAICS 42441, General–line
groceries merchants wholesalers, by the time the company started operations in 1980 supermarkets
had a history of 51 years. Supermarkets unlike other type of retail is considered truly American in
origin, self service grocery stores are traced back to 1912 in Memphis Tennessee, and it was in 1930
when Michael Cullen opened the first store of the King Kullen supermarket chain, it was around that
time after the big depression that the independent stores which at that time only offered dry
groceries started to transition to the supermarket ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The economy store format presented a standardized store format with branded products, that were
delivered in a vertical integrated supply chain of trucks, warehouses, and factories. A&P's didn't
offer home delivery but offered credit to its customers which provided excellent results for the
company. Another of the innovations is they used modern accounting practices, and management
principles that translated in to efficiencies in both ends of the business, customers and buyers. All
these innovations paid off and the company moved from having 650 stores in 1914, to 4,224 in 1919
(Lebhar, 1952).
Along with A&P's, Kroger, and Safeway were also early adopters of the new business model of
chain format, all the benefits that resulted from this business model made chain stores dominant in
the grocery industry. Between 1919 and 1932 there was an increase of market share by 26.6% for
the top 5 chain firms in the U.S.
The decade between the 1920's and 1930's was the period of the creative destruction as the new
business model supplanted the old. It was during this period that the shake out of the industry started
because maybe more than 100,000 small companies exited the industry, and the remaining ones tried
to made alliances as cooperatives with

Whole Foods Market : Whole Food Market
Comparing Two Retail Companies Company A: Whole Food Market Whole Foods Market (WFM)
is leading natural and organic food supermarket in the world. It started as one–store entrepreneur
shop and has since grown into an $8 billion a year. By 2008, Whole Food Market had 264 stores in
the United States that host its headquarters. It had six stores in Canada and five stores in the United
Kingdom (Harbin, 2000). It is located in an area of 80000 square foot flagship store in Austin. The
CEO and founder, John Mackey has cast the image of a niche retailer and enjoys profits in the
competitive retail industry that is sometimes characterized by low profits margins. The company has
over 50000 members that strived to meet its corporate goals. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The mission of WFM is to "promote the vitality and well–being of all individuals by supplying the
highest quality, most wholesome foods available." The company provides and empowers the work
environment of its members and commits to a sustainable agriculture. The aspiration of WFM is to
be a global brand that is not limited to natural and organic foods but also become the best retailer in
every community in which they locate (WFM, 2009). Another strategy that works well for the
company is its foods. WFM obtains its products locally and from all part of the world and have
uniquely dedicated food artisans. It strives to provide high quality, least processed and naturally
preserved foods. The company believes that food its unaltered state is the best tasting and most
nutritious food. WFM recruits best employees. The employees are empowered to make many
decisions regarding the operations. The team members are highly motivated to excel within their
areas of jurisdiction and receive fair treatment from various squatters inside the company. In a bid to
compete fairly, WFM looks for highly passionate staff to handle food and well grounded men that
can provide a critical role in shaping the company's destiny (Harbin, 2009). It believes that
companies must have responsibility for the planet. In this regard, the company

1.0 Overview of the company:
Whole Foods Market is a chain of organic, natural supermarkets found in USA, Canada and the UK.
Initially founded in Austin, Texas in 1980, at a time when there were less than half a dozen natural
supermarkets, the company saw rapid growth domestically through expanding across Texas and then
into the West Coast of America. This was achieved through growth from the ground up and
acquiring smaller natural food companies. Whole Foods Market in the present day is the result of
acquiring 14 smaller firms – a key driver in breaking into the UK and Canadian markets.
Marketed as 'America's healthiest grocery store' the company has successfully grown to 408 stores
across the world with sales of $14 billion in 2014 (Whole Foods Market, 2015). The firm is
positioned as an upmarket grocery due to the emphasis on natural, organic origins, and as a result
are able to charge a premium for their products. Through efficiently running its operations and
stores, Whole Foods are able to maintain healthy 4.02% profit margins (Financial Times, 2015) and
operating margins well above the American grocery store industry average at 6.58% (Bloomberg,
2015). Looking at 2015's quarter 1 figures it is clear to see that Whole Foods have had a hugely
successful year with sales of $4.7 billion, up 10% from the same period last year. Furthermore, they
opened 9 new stores and have signed a further 11 new leases.
1.1 Why are they successful?
As a company, Whole Foods Markets has

Whole Foods Market Research Proposal
This is an organization created by Ann Cooper, a chef. It helps provide nutritious lunches to kids in
public schools. In 2010, Walter Robb is named co–CEO of Whole Foods Market, and A.C. Gallo
becomes President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). In March of 2010 Whole Foods Market
receives what is perhaps their most prized accolade. They are named to the "World's Most Ethical
Companies" list by Ethisphere Institute. Honesty, integrity and ethics are valued by consumers in
addition to quality, price and customer service. During the summer of 2010, Whole Foods Market
hosted a seven–week fundraising campaign with the goal of improving school lunches through what
they called "The Salad Bar Project." Shoppers of Whole Foods Markets donated more than $1.4
million during this period and helped fund 570 salad bars in public schools. With their commitment
to sustainability of fisheries, Whole Foods Market forms a partnership with Monterey Bay
Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute to color code wild caught fish sold in its fresh seafood cases. In
February 2011 Whole Foods Markets across the United States and Canada implements the Global
Animal Partnership's 5 step Animal Welfare Rating system for beef, chick and pork. In April Whole
Foods Market starts their eco–scale rating system, a set of green standards for their household
cleaning products. They also debut their nationwide "Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel", a
film festival that celebrates Earth Month. Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market Personal Narrative
Detail oriented, self–motivated team player with strong organization skills and follow through,
ability to multitask and meet all deadlines. Successful long work history with Whole Foods Market.
· As the Senior Specialist, I was the liaison between Global and Regional accounting, supporting the
Executive Finance Coordinator. End of period review of expenses for accuracy and possible
capitalized costs. Balance sheet reviews, general ledger reconciliation, trend analysis. Performed
training for regional market team in aspects of accounting including General Ledger review and new
payables program. Cross regional projects such as the Tango seeding matrix. Some previous duties
carried over and evolved into the Senior Specialist position. Additional

Whole Foods Market: Business Overview
Whole Foods Market began in 1970 as a local supermarket. Over the past 31 years, Whole Foods
Market has grown from a single store in Austin, Texas, to becoming one of the worldwide leaders in
providing consumers with natural and organic foods. They have grown to over 300 stores in both
North America and the United Kingdom. (Whole Foods Market, Inc., 2011) This report examines
the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market has put into place. Also, it uses past
financial data to provide an assessment of the condition of the company going forward. Those
assessments include recommendations of future actions, along with concerns I have about the way
the company is currently operating and some difficulties that may be on the way.
Does your local grocery store have a section dedicated to natural or organic foods? I bet it does.
That probably wasn't the case in 1980, when Whole Foods Market opened their first store in Austin,
Texas. In the past 30 years, Whole Foods Market grocery chain has become the worldwide leader in
natural and organic foods.
Over the past few decades, the diet and health food industry has become big business. Americans,
along with people in many other countries, have become more educated about the benefits of
exercising regularly and eating healthy. Whole Foods Market is pursuing a business strategy that
strives to offer products that are of the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and natural
foods possible (Whole Foods Market,

Case Study : Whole Foods Market
Performance Mangement–4013 Assignment Title: Whole Foods Market Report by: Kiranpal Mann
Student #: c0645417 Date: 1st March 2016
Table of contents
1.Factors to Consider in Strategic Planning Development..........................................3
2–Individual Work Division and Performance.........................................................6
3–Performance Management through Strategic Planning...........................................6
4–Accountabilities, Subsequent Objectives, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The vision of the company is to set the standard of excellence in the food retailing industry. The
company should ensure that the strategic plan that is outlined is aligned with the vision of the
company. The strategic plan should also take into account the culture and core values of the
organization. The five–year plan that will be developed will be focused on the importance of quality
and customer satisfaction. The challenge–In formulating a strategic plan, the company should
identify the problems and challenges that it has faced recently, which may detail its future
developments. According to Johnston and Szabo (2011), a company should collect data from
consumers and analyze the underlying issue that may be affecting the company's productivity. The
strategic plan should address the issues and implement a plan that will be in the best interest of the
company. Whole Foods Company has faced a few challenges in the recent past, as the global
economy is not stable. The company has also faced increased competition from other food retailers
in the market. High rate of insecurity and shipping problems are some of the challenges that the
company is facing. The five– year strategic plan will address how the company intends to overcome
these challenges and achieve its goals and objectives. Communication and engagement– For any
strategic plan to be successful there should be effective

Whole Foods Market Analysis
"The better you eat, the better you feel", we hear that a lot but did you know that since 2012 the
number of families buying organic products had increase drastically. Over the last few years'
people's awareness of health problems as a result of consumption of chemicals and hard metals in
non–organic foods is forecasted to increase by over 16% by 2020 (Burnaby, 2015). The health
benefits that natural and organic food provides has become number one criteria in making product
choices for the whole family. Further examining the global market we will look into key behaviors
in buyers and factors effecting their decisions when it comes to price, benefits, limitations and
expansion. This paper will discuss the supply and demand of natural and organic ... Show more
The four founders of the market John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy, owners of Safer Way
Natural Foods, and Craig Weller and Mark Skiles, owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery partnered
in merging their existing natural store totaling 10,500 square feet of space and variety of product
(Whole Foods Market IP. L.P, n. d.). The market experienced a huge success after opening but it was
soon followed by a devastating flood causing losses in the amount of $400, 000. However, the
customer demand of natural foods in a supermarket environment and help by customers, volunteers
and break period given by lenders and creditors, aid the market and doors re–opening after 29 days.
Key expansion technique for the company was merging and "rapid growth by acquiring other
natural stores" (Whole Foods Market IP. L.P, n. d.). The companies' first expansion started within
the Texas area Huston and Dallas in 1988, followed by New Orleans and moving to the West Coast,
Palo Alto California, stores in North Carolina, LA, Boston, Detroit and Northern California in the
'90s. By 2004 the company expanded internationally in Canada and the United Kingdom (Whole
Foods Market IP. L.P,

Whole Foods Market
(i) Environmental Analysis – External Opportunities and Threats
The demographic, economic and the socio–cultural segments would be the most relevant segments
to Whole Foods Market. These segments have a direct impact on the profitability, sustainability and
survivability of Whole Foods Market, and the organic food industry. The relevance of the
demographic segment stems from the fact that the age structure, income distribution and population
size are important factors which will influence the demand for organic products. The economic
segment is relevant, as an affluent population will continue to drive and sustain demand for organic
products. The socio–cultural segment is another relevant segment, where attitudes about quality of
life, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Given that the organic foods industry is a rapidly flourishing one with a huge potential for profits,
this would be an attractive industry to compete in. The high entry barriers, lack of substitute
products and the huge pool of potential consumers will certainly mean an immense potential of
opportunities in an industry that has just started to grow. Whole Foods Markets is in an excellent
position to capture these opportunities and this will be explained below.
(iv) Responses to Wal–Mart's foray into the organic foods industry
Focus strategy on market penetration, using existing stores situated in prime locations
Whole Foods Markets has been able to reach out to its target markets through the prime
geographical locations of its stores. By further leveraging on these locations through the offering of
more customized organic products, Whole Foods will be able to penetrate the market deeper. Given
that fact that it has established the Whole Foods Brand in affluent communities, it will be in a better
position than Wal–mart to widen its target market and to reach out to potential customers.
Increasing brand awareness, appeal and loyalty though a more aggressive advertising and public
relations campaign
By increasing brand awareness and image, the reputation of Whole Foods will be enhanced. This
would be critical in reaching out to potential customers, as well as retaining current customers. As
mentioned in the case, Whole Foods does minimal

Brand Loyalty at Whole Foods Market
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Brand Loyalty At Whole Foods Market
1 Brand Loyalty
Simplified brand loyalty describes a status in which consumers determine their selves in; out of it
they become committed to a brand. Thereby they continue purchasing products or services of a
specific brand. At this point consumers rather spent more money on a product of a specific brand
than buying from multiple suppliers within the same category. Mainly brand loyalty is a result of
consumer's behavior, which is enforced through a company's measurements regarding branding.
Branding is a process that a company runs through in order to establish a new brand. The ambition
here is to strengthen a unique name and image for a product in ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
All these criteria, besides the very high quality products they offer, justify the higher pricing of
WFM.
However, they even offer an inexpensive private label called " 356 Everyday Value". By this they
even attract customers that only have limited financial resources, such as students or generally
speaking people with lower income. Thereby Whole Foods Market manages to cover a wide
spectrum of target groups and to provide perfect conditions for brand loyalty.
2.2. Customer Relationship Marketing
Other than an intensified customer oriented concept, Whole Foods offers a variety of active
customer programs to solidify their relationships between current and potential customers. Whole
Foods strives to make each client feel special. Furthermore, the company has created various
programs to prove their loyalty and appreciation towards their customers.
At Whole Foods, each buyer has the possibility to print coupons, rewarding customers with special
deals to save more money of items. This can come in handy since the company offers different
products every week, which are always all very popular and essential to the further development of
the company. In general coupons are meant to entice new customers that have been shopping at
competitor

Whole Foods Market Analysis Paper
An Analysis of Whole Foods Market The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary internal
look at Whole Foods Market, which was ranked 44th last year as Fortune's Top 100 Companies to
Work For. And even though the company is ranked 44th on Fortune's top 100 and 218th on Fortune's
500 top companies, they have remained in Fortune's rankings consecutively for the past 18 years.
This paper will offer a look at the organization's vision, mission, and core values, as well as its'
major strategic objectives. I will also determine how and in what ways the theory of Full Range
Leadership Development can support the core principles of Whole Foods Market's strategy. John
Mackey, co–founder of Whole Foods, along with Rene Lawson Hardy, Craig Weller, and Mark
Skiles opened the first store in Austin, Texas in 1980. Mackey's passion, philosophies, and belief
that individuals should have healthy eating habits and healthy foods was the driving force behind
opening the Whole Foods chain of stores. Although Mackey has been noted and criticized as being
very outspoken when it pertains to health issues, one of his firm belief's is that, ... Show more
Barbara Farfan (n.d.) explains that, "Whole Foods Core Values define how Whole Foods leaders and
employees interact with their products, customers, employee team, shareholders, communities,
suppliers, and align everyone behind the mission of improving health in general." For example,
Whole Foods believes in satisfying their consumers by selling the highest quality of natural and
organic products obtainable. The company strives to maintain the highest standards of quality, not
only in the products they offer but in supporting excellence in the development their employees,
communities, and the environment. Whole Foods direct core values as listed on the company
website (2015 Whole Foods Market IP. L.P.), also

Company/Product Background For this Global Marketing Foreign Market Entry and Marketing
Plan, we will be expanding the Whole Foods Market into Italy. Whole Foods Market is considered
to be a higher end, more organic store with higher priced products than other markets in the United
States. The motto of the brand is "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" (Whole Foods Market
History, 2016). They are concerned with what their customers are eating and overall health, so they
offer so many products that are both high quality and healthy. This company began with John
Mackey and Renee Lawson, who owned Safer Way Natural Foods in Austin, Texas. They joined
forces with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles who owned Clarksville Natural Grocery, and founded
Whole Foods Market in 1980 (Whole Foods Market History, 2016). Unfortunately, in 1981, there
was a disastrous flood that almost completely destroyed the first market. Without any insurance on
the property, many of the market's customers and community members helped to clean and restore
the space. Whole Foods Market was able to reopen the location in less than a month (Whole Foods
Market History, 2016). After a few years, Whole Foods Market started to expand their locations;
first through Texas, in the cities of Houston and Dallas in 1984. In 1988, the expansion continued
into Louisiana when Whole Foods Market bought Whole Foods Company in New Orleans. In 1989,
the growth was rapid and the company reached out to the west coast,

Overview:
Whole Foods Market is a retailer company that has one operating segment of natural and organic
foods supermarkets. It seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available to maintain the
strictest quality standards in the industry, as well as obtain an immovable commitment to unending
agriculture. Whole Foods Market has been operating 362 stores within the United States, Canada,
and the United Kingdom since 2013.
Whole Foods Market offers a wide collection of natural and organic products with an importance on
unpreserved foods. The company offers a massive variety of products from groceries, catering and
prepared foods, body care, lifestyle products, and supplements. Aside from the products, the
company established many more brands such as '365 Organic Everyday Day Value', 'Health Starts
Here', and 'Whole Fields', just to name a few that emphasize an approach to eating healthy by
building better meals and endorsing animal welfare on ranches and farm.
Whole Foods Market Inc. is known as America's healthiest grocery store. The company has been
recognized as "Most Admired 2015 Companies" and "Top 100 Companies to Work For" by Fortune
for eighteen years, stating, "The supermarket chain has redefined grocery shopping in the U.S". The
establishment has been also been ranked at number 3 on the list of America's most reputable
companies in the retail industry. The recognitions and awards represent the decades of passion and
dedication of the Whole Foods Market's

Whole Food Market Essay
Introduction
Food and water are the basic needs for living on the planet earth and all that leads to a food chain.
"What happened to that food chain?" Nothing changed but one more thing added in the chain and is
called "Pesticide or additives." In this situation lot of companies emerged under the organic slogan
and among them, one of the leading company is "Whole food market." Whole Foods Market (WFM)
captured 40% of American market share in past October but some of the major competitors for
WFM are: Spout & Trader, Joe, Walmart and Costco (Economist, 2014).This essay covers the
secondary research about the options for increasing share value and the abilities of whole food.
Moreover, essay covers the ideas generated with their pros and cons and recommendation of one
option, in order to achieve success by maximizing shareholder value.
Facts and Findings
Whole Food Market is one of the most successful organic food grocery chains. Health consciousness
among the Americans is increasing day by day, with that Whole Foods supplies organic foods which
satisfies their demand and makes it a successful brand (WholeFoodsMarket, 2014). The fiscal year
2013 was the best year for the company as the sales of the company touched 13 billion dollars.
Expansion in 10 new markets with 32 new stores shows how the company has been successful.
(Wholefoodsmarket, 2013)
Our team will briefly look into all the three options to increase the shareholders' value.
Expansion of Whole Food into

Whole Foods Market Mission Statement
1. Introduction
1.1 Company background
1.1.1 Company Establish
Whole Foods Market is company enforce on organic food Three decades ago, John Mackey began
his own grocery business with a single store which he has now grown to nations leading natural
food chain. Whole Foods Market was an early entrant into the organic food market and they have
used their early mover advantage to solidify their position and continue their steady growth.
1.1.2 Company Development and Target Customers
Whole Foods Market has grown over the years through mergers, acquisitions and several new stores
openings. In 2005 Whole Foods Market acquired Wild Oats Food chain, which with the changing
economy and a more competitive industry landscape. In addition to the supermarket, ... Show more
The company target locations where 40% or more of the residents have a college degree as they
likely to be aware of nutritional issues.
1.1.3 Company Mission and Philosophy
Whole Foods Market remains uniquely mission driven: The Company is highly selective about what
they sell, dedicated to stringent quality standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture. The
Company believes in a virtuous circle entwining the food chain. Not only pursuing ensure diversity
and high level quality, also focus on national agricultural development.
Whole Foods Market website defines the company philosophy as follows, "Whole Foods Market's
vision of a sustainable future means our children and grandchildren will be in a world that values
human creativity, diversity, and individual choice. However, companies, governments, and
institutions will be held accountable for their actions.
1.2 Industry Background
In the 1920s, chain store began to threaten independent retailers by offering convenience and lower
prices by procuring larger quantities of products. In the 1930s was a result of three major changes in
society:
The shift in population from rural to urban

Whole Foods Market Case Analysis
Whole Foods Market Case Analysis
Whole Foods Market has received recognition as recent as January 27th 2011 when CNBC aired
Supermarkets Inc: Inside a 500 Billion Money Machine. "Whole Foods is arguably the most
influential, and by some measures, the most successful supermarket chain in the world. The
specialty gourmet store has grown into a Fortune–300 company offering specialty foods and locally
grown organic produce.1" CNBC goes on to state that even "Established brands like Safeway, Giant
Eagle and Kroger are cultural icons as familiar as our own street names, but they are under constant
attack from brilliant upstarts like Whole Foods...1" From the general supermarket industry Whole
Foods Market breaks down into even a smaller specific ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Whole Foods Market has had experience in the natural/organic retailing industry since 1980. For the
past 30+ years they have built over 300 large customized stores in North America and also in the
United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market is known to provide the highest quality of products.
Weaknesses of Whole Foods Market include the high prices for their products; this is a direct result
of the company's focus on their availability of the finest products. The majority of Whole Foods
Market inventory consists of perishable items. This can sometimes pose problems because, produce,
milk, eggs have a short shelf life, Produce especially needs constant maintenance to be graded as
well as pulling the damaged or bruised produce off the sales floor. Working as a produce clerk for
several years I know the importance decreasing the cost of throw away products. It hurts the
company's sales especially when you are dealing with pricy high quality natural and organic foods.
Another weakness the Whole Foods Market faces is the high costs associated with expanding into
different locations.
The third part of SWOT is external opportunities that WFM faces in the industry. Over the past
couple of decades more

Whole Foods Market Analysis Essay
Whole Foods Market first opened on September 20, 1980 in Austin, Texas which is the company
headquarters. The founders were John Mackey, Renee Lawson, Craig Weller, and Mark Skiles.
These four business people decided that the natural food industry was ready for a supermarket
format (Whole Foods Market History, 2015). The current CEO's are John Mackey and Walter Robb
IV. Whole Foods Market stock ticker symbol is WFM and their NACIS code is 445110
(Morningstar). The industry sector the company is listed under is grocery store and retail trade.
Whole Foods Market is the eight largest company in the United States with 427 stores located in
North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The total number of employees is more than
90,000 people. Whole Foods Market has a business to business model where they merged with
multiple companies such as Bread of Life, Fresh Fields, Food for Thought, Amrion, Allegro Coffee
and other organizations with the concept of expanding their enterprise (Mackey, 2012). Whole
Foods Markets purchase inventory from suppliers where consumer can buy fresh organic food
online or in stores. Some of the products Whole Foods Market specializes in are seafood, meats,
cooked goods, and bakery goods (Whole Foods Market History, 2015).
An ethical concern for Whole Foods Market is the fish being produced by prisoners. According to
the news article, fish being farmed may have come from a prison in Canon City, Colorado. This
program through Colorado Correctional

Situation Analysis For Whole Foods Markets

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Situation Analysis For Whole Foods Markets

Similar to Situation Analysis For Whole Foods Markets (9)

More from Melanie Erickson

More from Melanie Erickson (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Situation Analysis For Whole Foods Markets