Since 1980, Whole Foods Market had evolved from a local supermarket for natural
ID: 462182 • Letter: S
Question
Since 1980, Whole Foods Market had evolved from a local supermarket for natural and health foods in Austin, Texas, into the most visible and best-known leader of the $80 billion natural and organic foods movement across the United States. It had 2013 sales revenues of $12.9 billion and, in Spring 2014, over 7 million customers visited the company’s 379 stores in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain each week. Whole Foods is a skilled and savvy merchandiser, and it is a mission-driven and values-driven company that “talks the talk” in striving to live up to its core values. Its strong emphasis on core values and employee-friendly operating practices had resulted in being among Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for 17 consecutive years (1998–2014), one of only 13 companies to make the list every year since its inception. Both its strategy and its operating practices are worthy of careful study as examples of how to run a good company.
Using your critical thinking skills, analyze the case study and prepare an evaluation of WFM’s strategy for growth and expansion while discussing the following issues to determine if WFM’s plan is effective and what changes could be made to improve it:
1. The chief elements of the WFMs strategy.
2. Whether their strategy is well matched to market conditions in the grocery food retailing industry.
3. John Mackey’s mission and vision for WFM.
4. The validity of WFM’s core values and their contribution to the success of the company.
5. Demonstrate the success of WFMs current and past financial performance using some of the key financial ratios.
6. The competitive advantage WFM has in the grocery market.
7.Recommendations to sustain growth and financial performance.
Explanation / Answer
1) Whole Foods Marekt had positioned themselves as Natural (Organic) and Healthy.
2) This strategy is well matched. Firstly the palce where they chosen are Canada, Greatn Britain, Austin and Texas, where people are prefering the organic food.
3) The vision and mission are not explicitly mentioned.
4) The key success factors are, it is a value driven companyn and secondly an employer friendly copamny.