Strengths:
[list]
[*] High quality food.
[*] Real estate in wealth neighborhoods.
[*] Good customer service .
[*] Staff is passionate about promoting the products and sharing that enthusiasm.
[*] Passionate environment allows others to learn about various nutritional ideas and supplements that are unavailable elsewhere.
[*]Fair labor wages for the farmers.
[*]Employee retention (no unions, above average hourly salary, solid benefits, 401k for workers)
[*Take Care of their Staff]
|
Weaknesses:
- Pricing perception - "Whole Paycheck".
- Viewed as a luxury shopping destination.
- Wide range of food available, but the depth into each category is limited.
- Targets a relatively small amount of shoppers.
- Customer loyalty is lacking.
- Marketing costs of organic foods are higher.
|
Opportunities:
- Expand private label
- Wide amount of areas where the stores are located allows for individual farmers to sell to store regions.
* Regionally farmed food will limit any potential repercussions if any food is tainted. - Expand prepared foods.
- Class offerings that educate the new consumer about a new product. (i.e. cooking classes.)
- Recent ads promoting the benefits of healthy eating push new consumers to WF trying to find the niche item.
- Weak US Dollar
|
Threats:
- Economic downturn impacts consumer spending
- Foreign exchange rates - international stores may leave open exposure to added costs.
- Low cash on hand
- Low spend per trip due to high prices. Individuals buy the specialty item and not the essentials.
- Organic and specialty labeled items are not strictly regulated by the
|