Preview

Whole Foods Market, 2005: Will There Be Enough Organic Food to Satisfy the Growing Demand?

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1470 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Whole Foods Market, 2005: Will There Be Enough Organic Food to Satisfy the Growing Demand?
Case 11
Whole Foods Market, 2005: Will there be enough organic food to satisfy the growing demand?

Summary
Whole food market is the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic food industry. A firm believer in the virtuous circle entwining food chain, human being and mother earth, they conduct their business true and consistent to their business mission and vision by producing the highest quality of products for its customers and high profits for its investors. Being a philanthropist and supporter of animal rights, Whole food market has established strong reputation with customers and suppliers. There are rivals in the industry and new entrants are seen penetrating the industry. At the time of the case (2005), Whole foods market is experiencing scarce resources in the organic produces and prime locations for their next business expansion.

Questions
1 What are the best strategies to tackle the growing demand for organic food?
2 How can Whole Foods Market expand their business further?
3 Will Whole Foods Market survive into the 10-15 years?

Analysis
General Environment
Global
Societies are more health conscious and better educated in many parts of the world. The major market for Whole Foods Market is United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Europe is a potential market growth.

Socio-cultural
A growing percentage of women working have led to an increase in singlehood and ready-to-eat meal. As more people becomes health conscious, demand for organic food increases as well.

Demographic
Ageing baby boomer expands the senior population which in turn would increase consumption spending. In Europe, population is increasing and there are significant suppliers of organic foods with build in acceptance amongst the people there.

Conclusion
Europe is the next breakthrough market to capitalise with growing number of buyers and suppliers of organic products.

Industry analysis
Overview
The natural and organic food retail industry is a fast

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Organic food is high priced and that causes a limitation in consumers. This only targets a small amount of shoppers. Another factor is that it limits the network of suppliers since the food needs to be organic. Lastly, Whole Foods Market success depends on the U.S. market and whether or not the consumer is economically stable.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prior to the recession of 2008, Whole Foods’ strategy focused on Growth, Store Location, Product Line, and Pricing. After going public in 1991, Whole Foods implemented a Growth strategy that included opening new stores and acquiring smaller chains in attractive markets. Store Location strategy involved finding locations in affluent, urban areas. High traffic shopping destinations and prime real estate spots were part of this Location strategy. The strongest strategic element Whole Foods adopted was its Product Line. Whole Foods specialized in a huge selection of organic and natural foods not found in traditional grocers. Pricing strategy for Whole Foods aimed to be competitive. A majority of its private label foods…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    If the company is going to have their customers eating organic crops by 2012, they will have to make sure that they identify the customer’s needs meaning find out what they like so they can cater for them.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Whole Foods customers would agree that there are very few reliable sources with the array of inventory and products found at Whole Foods. Whole foods is able to overcome competitors by maintaining larger stores with vast product diversity but they must keep expanding. With competitors like Trader Joe’s and Sprouts nipping at their heals, maintaining more than 520 across the United States (Gaar). Whole Foods cannot afford to lose sight of their goals. As result, Whole Foods has continued to scout overseas opportunities and expanding a world presents in smaller niche…

    • 1414 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Grocery shopping in today’s society can be extremely confusing for most consumers; I have often pondered over which product to feed my children and if organic food is actually better than processed food. Although I have heard many people say organic food is a gimmick to get more of today’s consumer’s money, or that they just can not afford it; I argue that eating organic is a more healthy choice. “Organic food consumption is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. domestic foodstuffs” (Crinnion 4).…

    • 1351 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whole Foods

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. My first reaction was that yes, the Whole Foods Market strategy matches market conditions. Evidence for this is that the demand for organic or natural products in continually increasing at an above average rate. More suppliers will carry and support farmers that are generating these organic products. With the increased demand is an increased awareness in the market that allows for increasing sales as well. On the other hand, only 13% of the retail food worldwide is made from organic or natural products. Looking at this figure, then I would say no, Whole Foods Market is not well matched to market conditions. In order to become well matched I would suggest they offer a product mix of organic and non-organic foods. This strategy would increase market with the majority of retail food purchases while still holding a strong share of the natural food market.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Miss

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages

    Specifically, “a cereal company has pledged that beginning in 2015, all of the new foods that it introduces will be non-GMO project verified and will contain at least seventy percent USDA organic certified ingredients” (Smith, 2012). With signs pointing to a growing amount of disgruntled consumers, this is a trend that will continue to have an impact on the future of food production. This is evident in the table listed below that defines the sales trends of organic beverages (Table 1). With statistics provided by Stephanie Cernivec in the article “Taking Beverages Back to Basics” the table displays the percent change from the year prior while also displaying the dollar amount of sales. Perhaps the most important sales trend to notice is that the overall purchases or organic beverages has been on the rise since 2012.…

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Whole Foods

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages

    * Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 working with natural and healthy foods in Austin, Texas; it’s one of the world’s largest of natural and organic foods supermarkets. In 2009, the sales total $8 billion and had 289 stores in the U.S. The Whole Foods Market plans to come up with strategies to help improve the company but to do so understanding the core values plays a major role in the company’s planning. The strategies they want to improve the growth strategy, store location strategy, product line strategy, pricing, control expenses, and merchandising strategy. This company values keeping all its products natural meaning minimally processed, largely or completely free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, and other non-naturally occurring chemicals, and as near to their whole, natural state as possible.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the past, Whole Foods was a successful venture and highly regarded as the primary destination for locally-grown organic foods. It was a small store that had mostly college-aged people or hippies as customers. This image of a small store environment that focused on providing food from local growers has drastically changed. Now, Whole Foods stores are much bigger, have more variety, and attempt to target a large market of organic consumers. Despite its tremendous growth across the country and into the U.K., the chain struggles with its share price.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Whole Foods is going to enter the German market beginning with its third largest city, Munich. According to the United States Census, Germany is the world’s fifth largest importer and exporter with $89.36 billion already through this July (United States Census, 2012). Organic foods in Germany have tripled between 1998 and 2008 and the country has faced a shortage of organic foods since 2007. Munich, Germany is surrounded by farms and agricultural producers to providing a supplier network for Whole Foods to…

    • 5132 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Whole Food

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The key opportunities for Whole Foods include: increasing attractiveness of the health and organic food industry, growth through acquisition, and enhancing their brand image and loyalty through community service. Whole Foods has already bought its largest competitor, Wild Oats, which has shown to be profitable. By promoting organic foods Whole Foods can increase sales and attract new customers by introducing them to the Whole Foods experience. Whole Foods would benefit not only by promoting itself but the industry in general. In addition to promoting organic foods, they could enhance their brand image and loyalty by continuing their community service efforts. If the industry continues to grow and they continue to bring about brand awareness and loyalty, Whole Foods could strengthen its market share and profitability.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    in defense of food

    • 1844 Words
    • 5 Pages

    McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Subway, Jimmy Johns, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Popeye’s and countless other food places are visited by thousands of Americans each day. Sadly, because of the convenience and price I am one of these people who give in to the endless fast food options we have in America today. Grocery shopping for most Americans is buying food that is the “best bargain,” or something you can get your moneys worth for. Quantity over quality is the mindset that a lot of people have in today’s society and how can you blame them? With rising costs in every aspect of living, a lot of people cannot afford to purchase organic, better quality food.…

    • 1844 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whole Foods

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Is Whole Foods’ strategy well matched to recent developments and conditions in the natural and organic foods segment of the food retailing industry?…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Psychology

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Is Whole Foods’ strategy well matched to recent developments and conditions in the natural and organic foods segment of the food retailing industry?…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    More nature, less chemical – this is what, generally speaking, organic food is about. The process of creating authentic food in line with organic principles starts on the farm and is kept all the way through production, processing, distribution and sales. The organic food market is regulated by strict EU and Member States legislation and all people involved in production of organic food must comply with the rigorous rules. To ensure consumer of a high quality and compliance with the organic farming regulation and to help them identify organic produce, an organic control bodies logos are placed on the packages. From 1st of July 2010 an EU organic logo (figure 1) is obligatory for all pre-packed food items. Other logos commonly used on Irish market are shown on fig. 2.…

    • 2837 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays

Related Topics