merchandising insights - Page 1 | WholeFoods Magazine

Excellence in Action: Independent Retailers

The WholeFoods Magazine team asked our readers for help in identifying natural products retailers who are going above and beyond!

July 24, 2025

Maggie Jaqua, Content Director

This year, WholeFoods Magazine received several outstanding nominations of independent natural products retailers for our Retailer of the Year. Among them...

Editor's Letter

Honoring Independent Retailers

Congratulations to Cambridge Naturals, WholeFoods Magazine 2024 Retailer of the Year!

July 26, 2024

Maggie Jaqua, Content Director

This year, we received several nominations for WholeFoods Magazine Retailer of the Year. And the winner is...

2024 Success Toolkit!

Your action guide to supporting the health of the natural products industry—and your business—in the year ahead.

January 17, 2024

WholeFoods Magazine Staff

Leading industry experts and analysts offer key insights and action steps that can help you grow your business while also supporting the greater good of the industry at large, and fostering future success.

"We are each other's BEST resource"

Making time for mentorship in the natural products industry.

October 30, 2023

Maggie Jaqua, Content Director

Throughout 2024, WholeFoods Magazine will be connecting with industry leaders, sharing their gems of wisdom as part of the special coverage WholeFoods Magazine will be delivering in celebration of our 40th anniversary.

Merchandising Insights

What Can Independents Learn From Other Retailers?

10 key takeaways for natural products retailers.

August 23, 2023

Jay Jacobowitz, President & Founder, Retail Insights

Independent natural retailers looking to stay in business can benefit from knowing what retailers in the other seven U.S. retail food channels are doing with natural products. Read on for 10 key insights.

January 2023

December 22, 2022

WholeFoods Magazine Staff

Click here for the January Digital Edition Gain the Insights You Need to Master the Industry's Top Trends... Editorial: 2023 Trends Roundup! Active Aging for Everyone Merchandising Insights: Success Toolkit: Looking Back and Ahead 7 Challenges Impacting Retailers & Solutions Personalization in Brick and Mortar Tip of the Month: Marketing...

!?! Staffing. You’re not alone.

October 20, 2022

Jay Jacobowitz, President & Founder, Retail Insights

A late September survey of independent natural products retailers across the country about their workforces reveals common problems, continuing pressures, and some silver linings. Midwest Retailer: “Staffing keeps us up at night.” “Staffing is the number one thing that keeps us up at night. In the old days, you could...

Post-Pandemic, What Do Shoppers Think About Food?

August 25, 2022

Jay Jacobowitz, President & Founder, Retail Insights

Here’s a number that shows current U.S. thinking: North American air-passenger traffic in May 2022 surged 203% compared to May 2021. Most of us, it appears, have decided to live with a mutating virus and return to normal life. So how does this shift in thinking impact food shopping? Most...

Preparing Your Store For Sale - Part One

August 13, 2018

Jay Jacobowitz, President & Founder, Retail Insights

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you are like the majority of owners of U.S. independent natural organic products stores, you are the founder. You may have started your store 20, 30 or more years ago. If you are thinking about selling, this means you probably don’t have children interested in, or capable of, taking...

One Year on — Amazon Whole Foods

June 27, 2018

Jay Jacobowitz, President & Founder, Retail Insights

Next month, Amazon will reach its first anniversary owning Whole Foods Market. How’s it doing so far? As we expected, Amazon will not spend a lot of time giving us specific results for its Whole Foods unit, which makes up less than 10% of Amazon’s total sales. In what appears...