The Washington Post joins in on what seems to be generally positive media coverage of Whole Foods that has emerged in recent weeks, reporting that “if Whole Foods were perishable, it probably would have expired this past year. But instead, it has done surprisingly well, holding its own as a high-end food retailer in what's now been a year-long assault on any store considered expensive. While its performance hasn't been dazzling -- the downturn hurt sales and dampened expansion plans -- it hasn't been dismal, either.”
To do so, the company had to ramp up its marketing and change its product mix to emphasize items that did not scream “whole paycheck.” Its efforts have been largely successful, at least to this point, and analysts seem to be coming around.
To do so, the company had to ramp up its marketing and change its product mix to emphasize items that did not scream “whole paycheck.” Its efforts have been largely successful, at least to this point, and analysts seem to be coming around.
- KC's View:
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One of three things is happening here.
It is possible that Whole Foods has a very, very good public relations firm that is successfully pitching this story to a lot of newspapers and is getting lots of bites.
Or, it is possible that newspaper reporters are following their occasionally lemming-line instincts and following up on previous stories about the retailer’s resurgence.
Or maybe it is some combination of the two.
That doesn’t mean the resurgence isn’t happening, or that the road ahead isn’t treacherous if Whole Foods makes a mistake. Both probably are true, and it will be interesting to see what happens as Whole Foods gets away from its gourmet image and refocuses on its healthy living roots.
