Whole Foods Market is a spectacle in the American retail industry. With the rise of discount chain stores such as Wal-Mart supercenters, market competition is unprecedentedly fierce, but Whole Foods Market's double-digit sales growth rate far exceeds that of its competitors. In addition, Whole Foods Market does not advertise but relies on word of mouth from customers.

Whole Foods Market, which began in a single store in the College Station of Austin, Texas, capitalized on growing consumer interest in organic and natural products. The group is currently in the process of a transformation to get rid of its reliance on "food fans". Whole Foods' goal is to double the number of stores and increase annual sales from $3.9 billion as of the end of November 2004 to $10 billion in 2010. Whole Foods also plans to expand overseas.

Five years ago, Whole Foods changed its business goal from "Best Organic Food Store" to "Best Food Store." "At that time, we began to notice a new type of customer flowing into our stores, who liked the service and thought the food tasted better," said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO. /p>

Whole Foods went public in 1992, thus obtaining capital for large-scale acquisitions. By the end of that fiscal year, it had 163 stores.

“Healthy living” customers still account for two-thirds of its customers, but the more rapidly growing segment includes shoppers who are willing to pay extra for fresh products. To meet the needs of these customers, Whole Foods has established a group of suppliers to supply its large fresh food, seafood and meat departments.

During last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, retailers were vigorously promoting various promotional activities. But Whole Foods remains profitable because of its appeal to customers' lifestyles. Although competitors have expanded their natural and organic product sections, McKee believes the concept of "one-stop" shopping no longer exists in the United States, and there is plenty of evidence that people are willing to pay just for a piece of salmon. Go into his store.

Whole Foods' rapid expansion has been achieved through a decentralized culture, which has now expanded to approximately 10 regions in the United States. "Each branch is conducting its own experiments, and successful concepts will be researched and promoted immediately," McGee said. One example he cited was the San Diego store's decision to roast coffee in-store, a move later copied by 50 other stores. Whole Foods interest is not limited to the United States. In 2004, Whole Foods acquired a small organic food chain in the UK and planned to open its own branch in central London. "We're going to get a lot of intellectual property from Europe that will allow us to operate better in the U.S.," McGee said. “And if the store fails, there won’t be much loss.

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