Whole Foods 2008 Annual Report Download - page 22

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to our benefit for other supermarkets to offer natural and organic products for two reasons: first, it helps fulfill our Company
mission to improve the health, well-being and healing of both people and the planet, and second, it helps create new
customers for us by creating a gateway experience. As more people are exposed to the benefits of natural and organic
products, we believe they are more likely to become Whole Foods Market customers since we are a category leader for
natural and organic products, offering one of the largest selections and most informed customer service at competitive prices.
Competition makes us a better retailer. We are constantly evolving, innovating and maturing, and we have a long track
record of responding to competition and improving from it. We believe we are better positioned from a value and price
perspective today than we ever have been. Our buy-side initiatives are continuing to deliver opportunities that will allow us
to be more price competitive, and we are leveraging our global buying power to the benefit of our customers. On the sell
side, we remain focused on innovation that redefines the marketplace and further differentiates our stores, products, and
customer experience from the competition.
The Whole Deal
Whole Foods Market has always provided customers with a great value on the products we offer: high-quality perishables
and products from sources consumers trust, thanks to our rigorous Quality Standards and focus on natural and organic foods.
Through our national “The Whole Deal” campaign launched in fiscal year 2008, we are emphasizing the value side of our
story even more. The Whole Deal is about giving customers the whole story to help them stretch their grocery and household
dollars further without sacrificing the benefits of natural and organic foods. The program includes The Whole Deal
newsletter available in our stores, which contains coupons, budget recipes, money saving tips and more; in-store Value Tours
led by our “Value Gurus” to help shoppers find the best deals in every department; and Sure Deal specials, which are special
deals on high-quality products our customers want, not discounts on overstocked or discontinued items.
Government and Public Affairs
Our stores are subject to various local, state, federal and international laws, regulations and administrative practices affecting
our business. We must comply with provisions regulating health and sanitation standards, food labeling, equal employment,
minimum wages and licensing for the sale of food and, in some stores, alcoholic beverages.
The manufacturing, processing, formulating, packaging, labeling and advertising of products are subject to regulation by
various federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), the USDA and the EPA. The composition and labeling of nutritional
supplements are most actively regulated by the FDA under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
(“FFDC Act”). The FFDC Act has been revised in recent years with respect to dietary supplements by the Nutrition Labeling
and Education Act and by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. We believe we are materially in compliance
with product labeling requirements.
Trademarks
Trademarks owned by the Company or its subsidiaries include, but are not limited to: “Whole Foods Market,” “365
Everyday Value,” “365 Organic Everyday Value,” “AFA,” “Allegro Coffee Company,” “Wild Oats,” “Wild Oats
Marketplace,” “Capers Community Market,” “Bread & Circus,” “Fresh & Wild,” “Fresh Fields,” “Global Local,” “Green
Mission,” “Harry’s Farmers Market,” “Merchant of Vino,” “Mrs. Gooch’s,” “Vine Buys,” “Wellspring,” “Whole Baby,”
“Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet,” “Whole Kids Organic,” and “Whole Trade.” The Company or its subsidiaries
also holds registrations or applications, and maintains common law trademark rights for stylized logos and brand names for
products created by Allegro Coffee Company and many of its private label products.
wholefoodsmarket.com
Our corporate website at www.wholefoodsmarket.com averages over 50,000 visitors each day and provides detailed
information about our Company, history, product offerings and store locations, with hundreds of recipes and a library of
information about environmental, legislative, health, food safety and product quality issues. In addition, access to the
Company’s SEC filings, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-
K, Section 16 filings, and all amendments to those reports, are available through our website free of charge, as soon as
reasonably practicable after these reports are filed electronically with the SEC. As with our stores, the focus of our website is
customer service. We believe our website provides us with an opportunity to further our relationships with customers,
suppliers and investors, to educate them on a variety of issues, and to improve our service levels.
In 2008, our website underwent some big changes. In addition to seeing a major facelift throughout the site, customers can
now create a personalized profile that keeps track of their favorite parts of the site and a “home” store; rate and review
recipes; share value shopping tips; contribute to forums and interact with other Whole Foods Market stakeholders; and check
out the new “Whole Story” blog, which is regularly updated for all of the new and exciting things going on at the Company