Supermarkets copy Whole Foods’ shopping list
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
They look like Whole Foods. They smell like Whole Foods. They even taste like Whole Foods. But they’re actually part of some of the oldest and most familiar chains in the supermarket industry.
Mimicking Whole Foods might not be a bad idea. Its same-store sales growth averages 11.1% annually for the past five years.
Meanwhile, old-line grocery chains are starving for growth in the stagnant, $480 billion supermarket world. So they’re increasing their focus on specialty, natural and organic products — the kinds of things that fill the aisles at Whole Foods.
“Whole Foods has changed the game,” says Phil Lempert, a supermarket consultant. “Now, the Big Middle (traditional supermarkets) — which is not doing so well — is asking itself: ‘How do we get a Whole Foods aura?’ ” more…
