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Whole Foods Case Summary

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Whole Foods Case Summary
1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing?

Taking into account the article, several pillars of the strategy can be determined.
Several with bigger importance than others, but definitely essential to the success of Whole Foods.

• Offer the highest quality least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods available.
• Creation of collective fate among stakeholders.
• Open own new stores and acquire small owner managed chains in desirable markets.
• Store footprint between 45,000 and 60,000 square feet. (Sweet spot)
• Stores based in high traffic shopping areas.
• Adapted product offerings per store because of different clientele and store size.
• The emphasis on fresh fruits,
…show more content…
Whole Foods got the luck and anticipation that they were helped by the USDA. In 2002 they officially established labeling standards for organic. This was necessary because between states there was a different organic language. Since Whole foods has stores in multiple states this was a great development. All products could now be labeled to take away any doubt of the customers. I am convinced that this has led to at least a slight rise in sales. Clients who buy organic at premium prices would like to have organic proof. This was a true win-win situation because it turned out to be a great marketing …show more content…
The big variety of employee motivators are definitely something concrete and supportive for a good working environment. Think about the discounts you could receive when you take health insurance at whole foods, stock option plans etcetera. Everybody knows that happy workers result in free publicity for the company. We already read that Whole foods only spends 0,5 % of their revenue on marketing right?

5. How well is Whole Foods Market performing from a financial perspective?

In order to judge the current and historic financial position of Whole Foods we used 3 ratios. Those were calculated from the balance sheet as well as the liquidity sheet. To keep it clear enough the focus was put on the fiscal years 2006 and 2007. The ratios will be presented excluding the calculations. Values are retrievable in the exhibit of the

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