Whole Foods Case Study

1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? There are many elements of strategy that Whole Foods is incorporating into their business, such as grwoth strategy, product-line strategy, pricing/merchandising strategy and location strategy. Whole Foods' strategy of placing their stores in more upscale and sub-urban metropolitan areas. The decision process involves researching population density, education levels and income levels of the prospective areas. Initially Whole Foods began purchasing other holistic//organic type food stores in addition to building their own, however they later decided that a change in strategy would be more beneficial and began solely focusing on opening their own stores. The merchandising/pricing strategy are ones that are well matched for the market conditions. While the prices of items sold at Whole Foods is higher, those costs can directly be attributed to the higher production costs in organic products. As far as merchandising, Whole Foods is out to provide the customer with an experience by having an interactive store that has things like restaurants, cooking classes and information on being a better consumer.
2. Do you think John Mackey has a good strategic vision for Whole Foods? Why or why not? What do you like/dislike about the company’s mission/vision “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” that is set forth in case Exhibit 1? Do the mission/vision and the core values underlying it (case Exhibit 3) really matter at this company or are they just nice words and cosmetic window dressing? Explain. John Mackey has a good strategic vision for Whole Foods. His goal has always been to carry the highest quality natural and organic foods available and be the premiere food retailer in the communities where Whole Foods stores are located. Since its establishment in 1980, Whole Foods has managed to become exactly that. The mission statement “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” is a perfect