Overview of Whole Foods Market

OVERVIEW OF WHOLE FOODS MARKET

The Whole Foods Market (WFM) began in Austin, Texas, United States with the opening of the chain’s first location. It’s founded by four local business people that decided the natural foods industry was ready for supermarket format. The original store was founded when John Mackey, the current CEO and his girlfriend Rene Lawson merged their store, SaferWay, with Clarkville Natural Grocery owned by Mark Skiles and Craig Weller.

The original Whole Foods Market opened in 1980 with a staff of only 19 people. At the time, there were less than half dozen natural food supermarkets in existence in the country. In 1984, the retailer began expansion outside of Austin and now, with nearly 40,000 employees and almost 200 locations in North America and the United Kingdom, Whole Foods Market is the largest supermarket retailer of natural and organic foods and products in the world. Early 2008, they had 276 stores in the United States, Canada, and also Great Britain. Whole Foods Market had been a leader in the natural and organic foods movement across United States.

“Highly selective about what we sell, dedicated to our core values and stringent quality standards and committed to sustainable agriculture” is Whole Foods Market’s uniquely mission. Their vision is want to become an international brand synonymous not just with natural and organic foods but also with being the best retailer in every community in which Whole Foods Market stores were located which it means that they want to become the most largest organic supermarket in the world. Mackey’s philosophy, marketing high-quality natural and organic foods to more and more customers in more and more communities would over time gradually transform the diets of individuals in a manner that would help them live longer, healthier, more pleasurable lives. The company motto is “Whole Foods, Whole People, and Whole Planet” give very strong