Whole Foods Analysis
Whole Foods Individual Case Analysis
Michael P. Butler
Syracuse University
When it comes to the twenty-first century grocery food shopper, there are more options than ever before. By typing into their computer or smart phone, anyone can queue up several dozen locations of where they can purchase a wide variety of products based on ever-changing interests and tastes. The conventional market stores evolved as geographically condensed collections of specialty shops selling produce, butchery meats, dry and canned goods. These Supermarkets were mainstays through the latter half of the twentieth century until Wal-Mart, Target and Costco added supermarket items, thus creating one-stop shop Mega-Stores targeted at the low-price point consumer. However, as run-of-the-mill grocery store and one-stop-shop options became the norm, American health awareness has advanced as well. Once thought as having a “Hippie” connotation from the sixties and seventies, natural, healthy foods are becoming more a necessity thanks in part to the increasing health risks of poor food intake. Fast food chains that produced only greasy foods are changing their menus to deliver more nutritious products. Schools across the nation are altering the cafeteria menus and promoting physical fitness. The numerous Grocery Store options has benefited from this revolution as well. Chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have created not only a small niche, but carved themselves a new market segment as the new norm for many healthy Americans.
Since Publication of the Harvard Business School Case, Whole Foods has been named the National Retail Federation’s ‘Retail Innovator of the Year’ for 2012, listed on Newsweek’s Top 10 list of ‘Greenest Retail Companies in the U.S.’ again named as 100 Best Companies to Work For according to Fortune. Additionally, Whole Foods was named the #1 Company in Social Responsibility according to the recently published Harris Poll Reputation Quotient ("The
Michael P. Butler
Syracuse University
When it comes to the twenty-first century grocery food shopper, there are more options than ever before. By typing into their computer or smart phone, anyone can queue up several dozen locations of where they can purchase a wide variety of products based on ever-changing interests and tastes. The conventional market stores evolved as geographically condensed collections of specialty shops selling produce, butchery meats, dry and canned goods. These Supermarkets were mainstays through the latter half of the twentieth century until Wal-Mart, Target and Costco added supermarket items, thus creating one-stop shop Mega-Stores targeted at the low-price point consumer. However, as run-of-the-mill grocery store and one-stop-shop options became the norm, American health awareness has advanced as well. Once thought as having a “Hippie” connotation from the sixties and seventies, natural, healthy foods are becoming more a necessity thanks in part to the increasing health risks of poor food intake. Fast food chains that produced only greasy foods are changing their menus to deliver more nutritious products. Schools across the nation are altering the cafeteria menus and promoting physical fitness. The numerous Grocery Store options has benefited from this revolution as well. Chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have created not only a small niche, but carved themselves a new market segment as the new norm for many healthy Americans.
Since Publication of the Harvard Business School Case, Whole Foods has been named the National Retail Federation’s ‘Retail Innovator of the Year’ for 2012, listed on Newsweek’s Top 10 list of ‘Greenest Retail Companies in the U.S.’ again named as 100 Best Companies to Work For according to Fortune. Additionally, Whole Foods was named the #1 Company in Social Responsibility according to the recently published Harris Poll Reputation Quotient ("The
References: The harris poll 2013 rq summary report. (2013, February). Retrieved from http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/2013 RQ Summary Report FINAL.pdf Shaywitz, D Whole foods market’s quality standards. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/quality-standards Grant, R Marquis, C., Besharov, M., & Thomason, B. (2011). Whole foods: Balancing social mission and growth. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School. Badger, E. (2012, May 14). Hippie capitalism: How an impoverished u.s. city is building an economy on co-ops. Fast Company, Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1837285/hippie-capitalism-how-impoverished-us-city-building-economy-co-ops Loeb, W Susman, A. (2013, January 03). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.thesquarefoot.com/blog/posts/infographic-trader-joes-moves-to-houston-retail-real-estate-figures Fastcompany.com Whole Foods Market. (2013) Whole Foods Market Reports First Quarter Results [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sites/default/files/media/global/company info/pdfs/q113financial.pdf. Whole foods market, inc. (wfm). (2013, February 15). Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=wfm Industry browser - services - grocery stores - company list