tripwire
Active Member
I like them but do find them expensive. I'm not sure how forecasts of groceries becoming yet more expensive will impact their bottom line.
Does anyone think Whole Foods will become quite popular in the city? I only started going to their store in Toronto after living in the US, as in Canada before I encountered the chain I always shopped at Canadian grocery stores. But I think that them having stores dedicated fully to organic and natural products fills a niche that wasn't present before in our city (where those kinds of foods were present but only in a section of other stores rather than the whole store).
Do you think Whole Foods competes with places like Loblaws etc. or attracts different people?
They aren't in Toronto itself yet, but Farm Boy stores are starting to open. I find them to be more appealing and less pretentious than Whole Foods
I've said on these threads before, I love Farm Boy and I agree with PinkLucy's assessment. Unfortunately, Farm Boy actively seeks out suburban locations - vast surface parking is one of their key criteria for choosing new locations. Even in Ottawa, where Farm Boy is almost everywhere, they are strictly a suburban thing. So, Farm Boy may compete some day with Whole Foods in places like Oakville and Mississauga, we are (sadly) unlikely to see them in the city anytime soon.
Isn't Farm Boy more or less like Longo's in the GTA? That's the vibe I got when I visited a Farm Boy for the first time while visiting my (now) in-laws. Maybe they'll eventually open a smaller, Market by Longo's concept for downtown.
I wouldn't say strictly suburban in Ottawa -- there are a couple on Bank, for example. So in more residential areas, but not restricted to Orleans, Nepean, Kanata, etc. Not right in the downtown either but certainly in Ottawa proper. It would be great if they could consider the growing urban population in both Ottawa and Toronto. I know someone who's pretty connected there; I'll see if I can find out if they've considered an urban concept store.
should note that Whole Foods isn't actually "fully" organic and natural