International Law

Whole Foods has been successful because it has stuck to its core strategy of providing high-quality produce, meat, and seafood while partnering with the communities where their stores are located. The core values listed on the Whole Foods website are 1) Selling the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Products Available 2) Satisfying and Delighting Our Customers 3) Supporting Team Member Happiness and Excellence 4) Creating Wealth Through Profits & Growth 5) Caring About Our Communities & Our Environment. Whole Foods strives to maintain these core values throughout their entire chain by operating contrary to conventional wisdom.

Although Whole Foods does compete against Box Grocers, it differentiates itself by placing its priority on providing organic and high-quality natural foods to consumers who have chosen to live a lifestyle that fits into the Whole Foods core strategy. Whole Foods competes on quality rather than quantity and on health rather than wealth (cost-savings). By providing high-quality, nutritious items, Whole Foods has become a highly successful company.

The approach taken by Mr. Mackey is to be somewhat anti-Box Grocer, and to do this, his entire operation has aligned itself to the core strategy of high-quality nutrition. By allowing managers to stock local produce, consumers can feel safe in knowing where their products are grown or raised, and that they are supporting their local growers. By taking the step to catch and process its own fish, Whole Foods ensures quality control in its seafood products; no Box Grocer can make this claim.

Rather than focusing on cost, Whole Foods focuses on quality; quality that draws a premium price. Box grocers are competing on quantity and cost, Whole Foods competes on quality and nutrition, for which it can extract this premium.

If Whole Foods goal was to cut costs and increase volume these practices would most-likely hurt their business. Since their core values are to provide high-quality natural and organic foods, they should stay true to that core strategy. Whole Foods has built a sense of trust with their customer base by ensuring quality control; focusing on consumers who want to get away from mainstream groceries. If Whole Foods were to adopt a mainstream supply chain, they might very well become just another "Box