Whole Foods’ Expansion Plan Is Heading In The Wrong Direction

Whole Foods Market’s aggressive expansion plan has led to the building of stores in neighborhoods and malls that don’t quite fit with the grocer’s upscale product line and image, or its market demographic. The company is steadily losing the natural-and-organic crowd to lower-priced competitors like Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Kroger. So it seems like a mistake to put new stores next to Dress Barns, Kmarts and Shoe Carnivals. Wall Street analysts say the grocer should be building stores where wealthy shoppers can afford expensive cuts of meat and exotic facial oils. With the grocer’s stock already down by 50 percent since 2013 and same-store sales slipping, expansion into lower-income neighborhoods “will trip them up” further, a Motley Fool analyst says.