The leader in the selling of organic and all natural ingredient products in the US is Whole Foods. Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, the chain has grown to over 300 stores in the US and the UK. They have had increased sales for the last four years, even during the economic down turn recently experienced by the US. With total revenues of over 9 billion last year, they are definitely doing something right.
While the US is one of the most obese countries in the world, there is also a growing demand for healthy food. Whole Foods has found a niche with which they exploit to their advantage. The niche is the growing demand for healthy food. The standard for Whole Foods is to sell only products that are organic or natural. Any food product that contains artificially made ingredients will not be sold in the store.
Whole Foods has grown because of a few key strategies they have employed. While being a "healthy" alternative is what may get the customers in the store, there is other aspects to Whole Foods which has made them successful. One thing that stands out is full free health insurance for the employees, and very competitive wages for workers. Another item which stands out about Whole Foods is the causes they have undertaken. They are one of the top employers in the US who have promoted and chosen to go green. There is no plastic bags in Whole Foods. All bags are made of recycled paper or a shopper can purchase a reusable bag made of recycled plastic. Whole Foods has also supported the going green energy movement by offsetting its energy use by purchasing wind power credits.
When you look at what Whole Foods is doing and has done, it is obvious why they have been very successful in their chosen niche. With continued growth, Whole Foods has shown they are going to be around for the long run.
