Marketing Plan For Whole Foods Market - 1554 Words

Introduction / History / Company Background Whole Foods Market first opened on September 20, 1980 in Austin, Texas, which is the company headquarters. The founders were John Mackey, Renee Lawson, Craig Weller, and Mark Skiles. These four business people decided that the natural food industry was ready for a supermarket format. The current CEO’s are John Mackey and Walter Robb IV (Whole Foods Market History, 2015). Whole Foods Market stock ticker symbol is WFM and their NACIS code is 445110 (WFM Morningstar, 2015). The company industry sector is listed under a grocery store and retail trade. Whole Foods Market is the eight largest company in the United States with 427 stores located in North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The†¦show more content†¦This program through Colorado Correctional Industries says on its website the mission is to train inmates with skills and work ethics so they can gain employment and be contributing members to society upon their release from jail (Whole Foods to stop†¦, 2 015). Some people may feel this program is beneficial for inmates, but at what cost? Prisoners who volunteer for the program are paid 74 cents to four dollars a day, which is way less than the entire fifty states minimal wage (Whole Foods to stop†¦, 2015). Most companies are cost effective, but to incorporate prisoners to farm seafood is morally and unethically wrong. Prison labor programs are unethical since inmates have no protection of their labor rights where exploitation can occur (Whole Foods to stop†¦, 2015). Michael Allen, a prison reform advocate protested at one of Whole Foods Market in Houston, Texas to bring awareness to consumers. People’s opinions will vary regarding this issue, but there’s an opportunity for the public to be aware of who really produce the products we consume (Whole Foods to stop†¦, 2015). The companies that work closely with Whole Foods Market are Fair Trade USA, Rainforest Alliance, The Institute for Marketecology Social (IMO) Fair Trade Certification, and Fair Trade International. These are non-profit organizations along with Whole Foods Market who care about social responsibility started a program called Fair for Life which is based on the latest recommendations by setting social