Whole Foods Market Global Expansion

881 Words2 Pages

The strategy of WFM, co founder Mackey, is to continue offering healthier options for its customers. The movement into Canada and the UK in the last few years, lays the footprint for additional global expansion. Mackey intends to increase WFM to 1000 stores. The question is whether it will happen through acquisitions or new store locations. The answer based on their history is a combination of both. The store in Canada opened in 2002. Since brand recognition is not as strong, the store struggled somewhat in the beginning; however, the expectation is that it will grow to one billion in the next ten years (Patton, 2013). The stores in UK, which are in the greater London area, have received mixed receptions, and some stores are selling well while other locations are not. However, Mackey is not deterred and believes that longevity will produce the desired results. Mackey acknowledges that Trader Joes is probably their most aggressive competitor, especially since some perceive their pricing to be lower. Conversely, WFM has answered back with its own price strategy developing a store brand organic line, 365 Foods. With the number of consumers demanding organic increasing over the years, major grocery chains like Kroger have added organic and specialty food choices to capture some of WFM customers. So have other stores like Wal-Mart and Meijer. However, ask any WFM loyalist and they will tell you that the product offering in these stores cannot stand up to the standards they are accustomed to. However, other holistic competitors such as Sprouts Farmers Market and The Fresh Market are showing that they are serious competitors as they cautiously add stores. Also, WFM stocks did not do as well as stockholders anticipated (Competitive A... ... middle of paper ... ... healthier food choices. Works Cited Bluejay, M. (2013). Whole Foods Market: What's wrong with Whole Foods? Retrieved from michaelbluejay.com: http://michaelbluejay.com/misc/wholefoods.html Collins, B. (2013, May 29). John Mackey, Whole Foods: Ethical Appetite. Retrieved from Billionaire.com: http://www.billionaire.com/wisdom/417/john-mackey-whole-foods-ethical-appetite Colvin, G. (2013, May 20). Walter Robb: Whole Foods' other CEO on organic growth. Fortune Magazine. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/06/leadership/whole-foods-robb-ceo.pr.fortune/ Competitive Analysis of Whole Foods, Inc. (2010). Retrieved from http://warrington.ufl.edu/: http://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/dinopoulos/ECP6701/projects/CS-Whole Foods-Web.ppt Organic Food. (2014). Retrieved from Wholefoodsmarket.com: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/organic-food

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