Whole Foods

1. MISSION STATEMENT:

1.1 Executive Summary

Whole Foods Market was set up in Austin in 1978, Texas, Theirfounders were which was twenty-five year old college drop-out John Mackey and also his girlfriend Renee Lawson Hardy was twenty-one year old, borrowed $45.000 from family and friends to open the doors of a small natural foods store called Safer Way Natural Foods. The original Whole Foods Market was openned in 1980 with a staff of only 19 people. At that time, there were be less than half a dozen natural food supermarkets in the United States. They have grown by leaps and bounds since their first store openned. Less than a year later, on Memorial Day in 1981, the worst flood in 70 years devastated the city of Austin. Caught in the flood waters, the store's inventory was wiped out and most of the equipment was damaged. The losses were approximately $400,000 and Whole Foods Market had no insurance. Customers and neighbors voluntarily joined the staff to repair and clean up the damage. Creditors, vendors and investors all provided breathing room for the store to get back on its feet and it re-opened only 28 days after the flood.

Beginning in 1984, Whole Foods Market began its expansion out of Austin, first

to Houston and Dallas and then into New Orleans with the purchase of Whole

Food Company in 1988. In 1989, they expanded to the West Coast with a store

in Palo Alto, California.

In the 90s they were openned variety of stores Wellspring Grocery of North

Carolina, Bread & Circus of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Mrs. Gooch's

Natural Foods Markets of Los Angeles, Bread of Life of Northern California,

Fresh Fields Markets on the East Coast and in the Midwest, Florida Bread of

Life stores, Detroit area Merchant of Vino stores, and Nature's Heartland of

Boston.

Whole Foods Market started our third decade with additional acquisitions

of Food for Thought in Northern California and Harry's Farmers Market stores

in Atlanta. In 2001, Whole Foods moved...