Introduction Whole Foods Market Inc. is the organization that is located in America that is a supermarket that deals with supplying organic foods. Whole Foods Market Inc. Sells only products that meet the self-created standards for the “natural” organic foods that the company defines as the minimally processed foods, which are free from cholesterol and fats as well as sweeteners, colors, preservatives, and artificial flavors (Whole Foods Market, 2015).
The company’s location
Whole Foods Market Inc. is a company that is located in America that is a supermarket that deals with supplying organic foods. The firm is headquartered in Watsonville, California. The company has an average of 91,000 as per September 2015. The company has 431 branches that are widely spread in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada (Johnston & Szabo, 2011).
Products and services offered by Whole Foods market
Whole Foods Market Inc. Sells only products that meet the self-created standards for the “natural” organic foods that the company defines as the minimally processed foods, which are free from cholesterol and fats as well as sweeteners, colors, preservatives, and artificial flavors. The company does not intend to sell milk or meat from cloned animals and their offspring despite being ruled to be safe by the FDA (Whole Foods Market, 2015). The Whole Foods Market sells various USDA-certified organic foods and products that are ecologically responsible and environmentally friendly. The stores do not deal with eggs from hens or foie gras that are confined to battery cages due to the animal cruelty concerns, due to the advocacy by the animal welfare organizations (Whole Foods Market, 2015).
The type of ownership of Whole Foods market
Whole Foods Market is a retail company according to the 2014 revenue. The Whole Foods Company was put in the Fortune 500 United States companies in March 2015. The retail company’s founders are Walter Robb and John Mackey of the publicly traded company. The chairman of Whole Foods Market is John Elstrott (Johnston & Szabo, 2011).
External threats Whole Foods market may face
The external threats to the company’s business are critically based on the nature of the competition, climate, and food technology. The significant threat to the survival of Whole Foods Market is based on the Low-cost competition, the rise of GMO products, and global warming (Johnston, 2008). The company faces the threat of low-cost competition from various firms like Walmart that attract consumers based on the low products prices. Also, the increasing number of health food and organic retailers are significantly offering low prices that could shift consumers away from the company. The food market also faces a threat of genetically modified foods in the market. The threat could reduce the mode of Whole Foods Market to meet its standards in the provision of organic products that have low or no GMO ingredients. The global warming is a threat to the company since it alters food production (Johnston, 2008).
External opportunities of Whole Foods market
Whole Foods Market Inc. has the potential opportunities to expand globally. Currently, Whole Foods Market has many of the branches and operations in The United States. The operations make the company make the business vulnerable to the economic transitions in the United States. In relation, the primary aspect of Whole Foods Market’s opportunity is to expand the supply chain to various destinations. The opportunity pertains to the dire need to have more organic foods and producers to complement the firm’s relative growth. Also, the Whole Foods Market has an opportunity to adjust the prices of the products to make them more competitive in the food market. The slight reduction in the price of the foods does not necessarily imply the reduction in the high-quality appearance of Whole Foods Market products. The part of analysis shows that Whole Foods Market has a primary opportunity to grow the business in the international market (Johnston & Szabo, 2011).
- Johnston, J. (2008). The citizen-consumer hybrid: ideological tensions and the case of Whole Foods Market. Theory and Society, 37(3), 229-270.
- Johnston, J., & Szabo, M. (2011). Reflexivity and the Whole Foods Market consumer: the lived experience of shopping for change. Agriculture and Human Values, 28(3), 303-319.
- Whole Foods Market. (2015). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/site_search/about%20us
