High Tex
Whole Sales
As the nation’s largest chain of natural and organic foods supermarkets, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is where the trendy buy such necessities as tea tree oil toothpaste. But now patrons no longer have to shop in person to make a statement. In late March WholeFoods.com opened for business, offering some six thousand nonperishable items, all available via UPS. Though Whole Foods is joining the ranks of other grocers, such as Randalls, going on the Web doesn’t guarantee extra profit. “Overall, the grocery category has not been a home run online,” says Adam Schoenfeld, an analyst at New York research firm Jupiter Communications. Whole Foods believes its venture will be a success, however, because the company’s loyal customer base is likely to shop the Internet. But what about those customers who have a Whole Foods just around the corner? Well, savings may be the site’s greatest strength: All products are discounted as much as 35 percent. As Schoenfeld puts it, “People don’t shop at Whole Foods for the great prices,” but the company hopes that with such a combination of savings and convenience, online success is in the bag.
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