Whole Foods Market: Business Model, Timeline and SWOT Analysis

Whole Foods Market is a natural and organic food supermarket chain with 465 stores across the US, Canada and UK. Its business strategy is primarily product differentiation by offering a variety of natural and organic products including non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and other special diet foods. Its target customers belong to the upper and the upper middle class who are willing to pay extra for healthy and natural foods. The company operates through several store brands such as Whole Foods Market, 365 Everyday Value, Whole Catch, Engine 2 Plant-Strong and Whole Trade each targeting a particular segment of the customers. The business strategy of the company has been under scrutiny over the years for overcharging the customers. A comparison by the US 2010 consensus data found that the grocery items were charged 12% over the national average. The company also had to pay fine of $800k for overcharging the customers in California in 2014. Read on to learn more about the timeline and SWOT analysis of Whole Foods Market.