Wild Oats Case Study - 1212 Words

INTRODUCTION: Founded in 1987, Wild Oats Markets, Inc. is a leading natural and organic foods retailer in the United States. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the company operates over 100 natural food stores in 25 states and Canada under several names, including Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry’s Farmer’s Market, Sun Harvest Farms, and Capers Community Market. The owners, Michael Gilliand and Libby Cook, lacked experience in the natural/whole foods market and the first store got off to a slow start. However, with consumer’s peaking interest in wholesome foods produced in an earth-friendly, responsible manner, sales soon increased and the company experienced rapid growth from 1991 through 1999. Even though they have remained†¦show more content†¦By 2006, the company was in over its head and could not compete effectively with Whole Foods. Insufficient IT – Even though the company has commenced IT programs for EDI, they still have a weak I T infrastructure with a proliferation of systems. OPPORTUNITIES: High Growth Market – the holistic health area is growing quickly and Wild Oats has already begun tapping that market. The popularity of organic market cafes is increasing and Wild Oats already has these cafes in many of its stores. Vertical Backward Integration – Whole Foods has the opportunity to expand its distribution center in Denver, and enlarge the commissary kitchens to produce even more of the deli food, baked goods, and take-out food for delivery to their stores, thereby replacing some suppliers and assuring their quality standards are met. E-Commerce – Wild Oats currently offers their private label brands through Peapod.com and Amazon.com. The opportunities on-line are endless as long as the commissary kitchens and distribution centers can keep up with the demand. THREATS: Competition from conventional grocers and mass retailers – as they add organics to their product offerings, the resulting competition could drive prices down and create gross margin erosion. Competition from Whole Foods – Whole Foods competitive store openings have the capacity to negatively impact Wild Oats sales, and as has been demonstrated, have been a source of pressure.Show MoreRelatedCase Study(Whole Foods)1481 Words   |  6 Pageswhich is not alarming but the management should look into the reasons behind the decline. The debt-to-equity ratio is used to evaluate borrowing capability and the amount of debt in the company. Usually ratios above 1.0 indicate excessive debt, in the case of Whole Foods Market the ratio has gone up from 2006-2007 (.004-.023), which indicated an increase in the amount of borrowings. 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