Whole Foods Business Model

Business in a Changing World Joseph Johnson

Whole Foods is a company that started with one store in Texas, and has since expanded into over 350 stores nationwide. By acquiring new companies in large markets, Whole Foods has been able to adapt to changing trends and keep up with new customer demands. At the center of Whole Food’s business model is their many core values. These values include selling the highest quality food available, support of their employees, growing shareholder investments, educating the public on healthy eating, serving and supporting local communities, and creating strong relationships with local and national suppliers. By doing this, Whole Foods is the first to learn of and sell new

Along with local suppliers, Whole Foods relies on international agriculture and suppliers for many of their products such as coffee, chocolate and cheese. Whole Foods primarily operates in the US, but has small numbers of stores in Canada and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods implemented a program named Whole Trade in 2007 to promote fair treatment of workers working in developing countries, which includes better and safer working conditions and higher wages. Part of this program gives 1% of all proceeds back to the communities that supply Whole Foods, and the allocation of these funds are determined by the workers themselves, allowing the most crucial problems in these communities are addressed. Programs like this show consumers that the company cares about sourcing products based on ethics and not based on where the most money can be

Whole Foods has made a number of strategic acquisitions to promote the growth of the company over the years. These acquisitions tend to be smaller, regional stores similar to Whole Foods in that they specialize in organic, artisan products. However, Whole Foods has also made a number of acquisitions of companies who produce products Whole Foods now sells such as Allegro Coffee. Whole Foods relies on local entrepreneurs to supply each store with a unique item they produce. These small businesses and the products they make is what makes Whole Foods stand out from competitors such as Costco and Trader Joe’s because they are able to keep pace with modern trends in today’s ever changing society, something Costco and Trader Joe’s do not have because of the reliance on their own name