Who knew Whole Foods had a younger, hipper cousin?

Who knew Whole Foods had a younger, hipper cousin affectionately called 365 By Whole Foods?  When the new stores were launched just one year ago, they were lauded as the a new, cheaper, millennial-friendly supermarket (Tuttle, 2016).  Despite the fact that Whole Foods Market has been largely popular among an older, more health conscious demographic, sales have continued to decline and Whole Foods is hoping the new 365 stores will allow expansion and an uptick in revenue (Tuttle, 2016).

To boost sales and drive shoppers into the new 365 model stores, Whole Foods has lowered prices, remodeled existing stores, and launched a new national advertising campaign (Tuttle, 2016).  What’s funny is that most of us missed it!  Marketing communication fail?

I never knew the stores even existed until I learned a new 365 by Whole Foods Market will arrive in my own neighborhood in weeks.  I immediately began to do my own research to figure out why the marketing campaign for such a popular grocery chain never came up on my radar.  I am a fitness obsessed, organic food connoisseur who would have absolutely noticed …had the marketing campaign been amazing!

Whole Foods Markets co-founder and CEO John Mackey assures shareholders that the smaller-format 365 stores are doing well and expects the company will return to positive comps and earnings growth by fiscal-year end 2018 (Daniels, 2017).

References:

Daniels, J. (2017, May 10). Whole Foods bets on 365 format, cost cuts to revive growth. Retrieved June 04, 2017, from http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/10/whole-foods-bullish-on-365-format-sees-return-to-sales-growth-in-fiscal-2018.html

Tuttle, B. (2016, May 24). How Will 365 Store Prices Compare to Regular Whole Foods? | Money. Retrieved June 04, 2017, from http://time.com/money/4340938/365-by-whole-foods-prices-selection-how-different/