Whole Food Market - What About Relate Products?

What about relate products?

The company is dedicated to selling natural and organic products without hormones or antibiotics like meats, fish and prepared foods.

What of the general environment segments and which factors therein are most relevant to WFM?

WFM has eight distribution centers, seven regional bake houses, and four commissaries.

The target audience of the company is university people, since they are usually the ones who take the most care and have supportive of nutritional issues.

When the company was founded there was hardly any competition, but today there are many companies dedicated to green food for example Trader Joe´s Co, Wild Oats Market and Stop´N Shop and Shaw´s.

In which industry does WFM compete and what are the dominant characteristics of this industry?

The Main competences are natural and organic products, special attention of customers, growth preferences to organic products

Is this an attractive industry in which to compete (Porter)?

Yes, since it is a growing sector in which there are more consumers every day and there are not a large number of suppliers in this sector, so customers do not have many options when choosing where to buy their products and there is no substitute product to these.

What factors are critical to the success of WFM?

Quality of natural and organic products, guaranteed by a thorough evaluation to achieve the greatest freshness, flavour, nutritional value, appearance and possible safety.

 At the service of the client, developing customer service policies based on efficiency, competence and knowledge, so that customers become, in turn, great promoters of the business.

 Concern for the commitment and satisfaction of employees.

Whole foods works for the economic benefits, since the company does not forget the shareholders within its strategic objectives and the importance of getting profitable businesses as key to grow and prosper.

Concern for local and global communities, through donations to food banks, fundraising campaigns for social assistance, collaboration with foundations and loan programs to local producers.

Respect for the environment, setting in motion sustainable practices of organic farming, promoting the use of renewable energies and initiating recycling, reuse, conservation and environmental clean-up programs.

Good relationship with suppliers, considered allies of the brand, betting on honest communication, transparency in agreements and innovation

What are WFM’s tangible and intangible resources?

Tangibles resources:

Financial: They operate with their own capital, have high rates of return and have strong cash flows

Organisational: It has an organizational structure, and an organizational decentralization and assigns responsibilities and functions formally

Physical: 172 stores, 8 distribution centres, 7 regional bake houses and 4 commissaries.

Technological: It has the most advanced technology on the market.

Intangible resources:

Human: The Company currently has 32,000 employees; they are people with extensive experience in the organic and natural products industry. The staff is organized into a group and the group's owner can own shares in their own company.