Whole Food Market

WHOLE FOOD MARKET

What about the related products?

Whole Foods has been offering a wide variety of natural and organic foods to their customers. 'Natural' concerns food free of growth hormones or antibiotics, and food "certified organic" meets the standards defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in October 2002

The company is highly selective in what they sell, dedicated to stringent quality standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture. They believe in a virtuous circle that intertwines the food chain, human beings and Mother Earth: each is dependent on the others through a beautiful and delicate symbiosis.

The categories include, but are not limited to:

Produce seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, specialty (beer, wine and cheese), whole body (nutritional supplements, vitamins, body care and educational products such as books) s flower pet products, household products

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

The WFM's vision of a sustainable future means that our children and grandchildren will live in a world that values human creativity, diversity and individual choice. Businesses should take advantage of the human and material resources, without devaluing the integrity of the individual or the planet's ecosystems to Whole Foods recognizes that it is only a supermarket, it is working toward its vision in the context of their industry.

In addition to leading by example, strives to do business in a manner consistent with its mission and vision. Offering minimally processed high quality food.

It is important for the company to establish systems to ensure that animals used in their products are treated humanely.

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

Despite being in a highly competitive industry, Whole Foods maintained its reputation as "One of the first natural food industry"

Low prices and convenience are still the dominant factors driving consumers to supermarkets today. The industry is characterized by low margins and continued downward pressure on prices evidenced by coupons, weekly specials and rewards cards

Whole Foods uses the price as a marketing tool in a few selected areas, Whole Foods focuses on quality and service as the competitive dimensions in which it is differentiated from its competitors.

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

Clients:

The company strives to serve its customers, realize that they are the "lifeblood of the business. 'First goal of the Whole Foods goes beyond customer satisfaction to 100 percent in order to delight the customer.

The aging baby boomer population will expand the top in the next decade as their children grow up and leave the nest. Urban singles are another group with additional disposable income, due to their lack of dependents. These two groups present an opportunity for growth of Whole Foods

The Baby Boomers are driving the demand for organic foods in general, because they are health conscious and can afford to pay higher prices

In recent years, consumers have made gradual progress toward the use of healthier foods in their daily diets. Consumption of fruits and vegetables and pasta and other cereal products has increased.

The general acceptance can be attributed to the change in food preference of consumers as taste and motivation to buy food. The sale of organic food has largely overcome the sale of food products due to consumer perceptions that organic is healthier.

Buying organic food is perceived as a benefit to the health of consumers

Whole Foods customers are well educated, so they get high wages that allow them to pay higher prices.

suppliers:

Whole Foods buys most of its products to regional and national suppliers. This allows the company to leverage its size to receive discounts and favorable agreements with suppliers.

The largest independent provider is United Natural Foods, which represented 20 percent of total purchases from Whole Foods for fiscal year 2004.

Substitutes: WFM has become the substitute for non-organic