Why do some independents succeed while others struggle? There’s no single success formula, but clues emerge as we scan the retail landscape. An Outmoded Business Model When thinking about business models, it’s useful to take a generational view. GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe, the two largest U.S. pure-play vitamin chain...
On May 16, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control updated its COVID-19 guidance for wearing masks: “If you’ve been fully vaccinated: You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic. You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by...
Any regular reader of this magazine knows our annual retailer survey, published each March, consistently reveals that the more fresh, perishables foods a store carries, the greater its sales. Prepared foods departments literally drive sales momentum in these full-service natural organic grocery stores. So, as the pandemic hit last year,...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Part 1 of this story, 2020 Year In Review Plus What's New and What's Next for 2021, is available here. This coming March, WholeFoods Magazine will publish the results of its 43rd Annual Retailer Survey of U.S. independent natural organic retailers. We are crunching those numbers now, but wanted to...
In June, we published Part I of this series of retailer interviews about the response to the pandemic. Here, we follow up as of early October, and sincerely thank those independents who generously shared their thoughts and observations. Home Delivery Northern New England retailer: “Delivery logistics are challenging. We...
How hard is it to get your marketing message out—and into someone’s head? Very hard, and very expensive, as you know. Because normally, minds are closed—guarded, that is—as people focus single-mindedly on pursuing personal, private purposes, blocking out all interruptions and distractions. Under normal circumstances, for you to have any...
At their May 19, 2020, meeting, the Brattleboro, Vermont Selectboard passed a resolution requiring face coverings to be worn by customers and employees in all retail establishments. It was part of an expanded discussion of COVID-19 and business issues. In hindsight, some independent natural products retailers believe they could have...
Earth Fare, begun as a single natural foods store in Asheville, NC, in 1975, was one of the first in the U.S. independent natural organic retail sector to invite financial investors in the 1990s. Under equity control, stores grew to 40,000 square feet, and expanded initially across the southeast, and...
At WholeFoods Magazine, we address our monthly commentary toward U.S. independent natural products retailers. We do this out of our belief that it is independent retailers operating in the natural organic space that best represent the mission, values, and yes, the soul of the natural products movement. It was independent...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hearts Ever play hearts? It is an odd card game because there are two ways to win: ending with the fewest, or no points; or winning all the points. Each heart is worth one point. No other card is worth a point, except the queen of spades, which is worth...
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