Whole Foods and Wild Oats - deal off?

I suspect part of it is the whole proximity/competition issue. The report mentions how many stores Whole Foods would "add" if the deal goes through, but how many of the "added" stores would be closed immediately because they're across the street from an existing Whole Foods outlet?

Me, I'm against the merger mainly because there are items I get at Wild Oats that Whole Foods just doesn't carry. Sometimes, it's a matter of different lines from a single brand--both carry VitaminWater and SmartWater, but Whole Foods won't carry FruitWater--and other times it's an entire brand. When I shop, I usually end up shopping at both, whether here or in other places I've lived with both stores.

Besides, even combined, they're still not enough of a threat for WalMart to take seriously. I keep looking at what WalMart and Kroger have added in an attempt to compete, and it's laughable. Kroger's markup on the Glaceau water brands is enough that it's worth the gas money to go a little further and shop at Wild Oats.

Me, I'm against the merger mainly because there are items I get at Wild Oats that Whole Foods just doesn't carry. Sometimes, it's a matter of different lines from a single brand--both carry VitaminWater and SmartWater, but Whole Foods won't carry FruitWater--and other times it's an entire brand. When I shop, I usually end up shopping at both, whether here or in other places I've lived with both stores.

Yeah there are a lot of items that each store has that could be threatened by a merger. My chief complaint as well. I also go to both when I go.

If only we could have a Wegman's. If they were to expand nationally they would be a very serious competitor to Whole Foods.

Wegmans would not only provide competition for Whole Foods but also for Kroger, Fresh Market and Meijer. They'd also provided competition for Liquor Barn!

If you've never been to Wegmans you've missed one of the truly remarkable grocery shopping experiences. Not only that but Wegmans is also always highly rated as a great place to work!

http://www.wegmans.com/

Absolutely. Wegman's is maybe the only one-stop-shopping experience I've ever had, and one of the best store-based bakeries to boot. It's not Jungle Jim's, but it's the closest I've ever seen in a chain-style supermarket.

Wegman's rules. I go up to Ithaca, NY every year and love being able to shop at Wegman's while I am there. I actually prefer it to Jungle Jim's.

We just went to the Wegman's in Lake Manassus, Virginia this past week during our trip to Washington DC. It's like a Food Disney World. When we saw the olive bar, I said, "Wow, that's huge!" Then I realized it turned the corner and was stunned. Then I realized it turned the corner again and I reconsidered my state of consciousness... maybe I was dreaming. By the time I realized it turned the corner fora third time, completing approximately 40 feet of mediterannean delights in a rectanglular service area, I was ready to set up a tent in the cafe and stay there for the rest of our trip.

Would that really be in their best interest when a consumer could bite the bullet and start shopping at the plethora of regular supermarkets again? They act as if there is no alternative to buying organic and natural....um yeah there is. so innocent?

but we all know that some people would rather shop exclusively at places like this, even if purely on principle, regardless of price. Same goes with paying a premium on the organic and natural food stuffs (even moreso actually).

oooooohhhhhhhh...I wish we could get a Fairway in louisville...for now I can only live vicariously through my friend who lives within walking distance of the Brooklyn location in Red Hook...they have the best of ALL worlds!

http://www.fairwaymarket.com/

oooooohhhhhhhh...I wish we could get a Fairway in louisville...for now I can only live vicariously through my friend who lives within walking distance of the Brooklyn location in Red Hook...they have the best of ALL worlds!

http://www.fairwaymarket.com/

That is a great supermarket. My parents live close to it. If you get back up that way this summer, go about five blocks east and sample the delicious ethnic food at the stalls that surround the Red Hook Ballfields. Now, that is some good eats!

my friend lives right at Coffey and Van Brunt, and I will be there this July so I'll have to check it out!

This is lengthy, but if you are interested in the organics business the following blog entry from the CEO of Whole Foods regarding their attempt to buy Wild Oats is pretty fascinating:

http://www.wholefoods.com/blogs/jm/arch ... s_mar.html

Interesting blog. And one that frankly repulsed me, chiefly the section under "Why Does Whole Foods Market Want to Buy Wild Oats?"

Of course people want to compete in particular markets, but the language of that blog so smacks of corporate grasping and gung-ho capitalism it nearly took my breath away.

But it goes beyond a sort of garden-variety capitalist ethic, the sort that recognizes competition is the name of the game, and just baldly blathers on about the need to eliminate the competition, not simply to compete within a wider market.

So with that ethic, I suppose Toyota, for example, might just as well start making plans to buy up every automobile manufacturer in the country. Why compete when you can just eliminate the competition altogether by buying it up piece by piece?

I'm thinking seriously about boycotting Whole Foods, frankly.

I was a bit surprised by the tone, as well. Given that he takes $1 in salary, I never thought that the CEO was so aggressive. (yeah, I know about all the stock options and all that, but it's still a nice gesture - even Warren Buffett takes $100,000!)

Deal closed:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/bs_ ... foods_dc_1