Whole Foods 2010 Annual Report Download - page 6

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Please find page 6 of the 2010 Whole Foods annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

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 stakeholders
Our business model is very successful and continues to benefit all of our stakeholders.
There are many reasons to be optimistic about our future growth potential. When the first Whole Foods
Market store opened in September 1980, we had no idea that in only three decades we would rank #284 on the
Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. public corporations and have 300 stores, including stores in Canada and the
United Kingdom. Thanks to the collective hard work of many thousands of Team Members, as well as strong
leadership throughout the company, we have been highly successful, producing industry-leading comparable
store sales growth, average weekly sales and sales per square foot. Our executive team has worked closely
together since 2001. This year, with the promotions of Walter and A.C., our Board took active steps to keep
our executive leadership team together for what we hope is many years to come.
We have an expanded sense of our ultimate growth potential as our brand has continued to strengthen,
consumer demand for natural and organic products continues to increase, and our flexibility on new store
size has opened up additional market opportunities. While it is difficult to put a number on how many stores
we can eventually have, we consider 1,000 stores to be a reasonable indication of the market opportunity.
There is plenty of runway left in the United States; Canada and the United Kingdom hold great promise, and
we expect some incremental long-term growth to come from other international opportunities as well.
We like to believe that we all have played a small part in changing the world for the better through a focus on
high-quality foods, both by helping the natural and organic foods industry to grow and suc ceed and by offering
a different kind of business model where profits and integrity positively impact all of our stakeholders. After
30 years in the business, we are more passionate than ever about our future and our impact on the world. We
firmly believe that the best is yet to come for Whole Foods Market and look forward to working together to see
our collective vision realized.
With deep appreciation to all of our stakeholders,
John Mackey Walter Robb
Co-Founder & Co-CEO Co-CEO
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