As someone who shops at Loblaws and Whole Foods every week, Loblaws has a long way to go still when it comes to organic and natural foods selection, and even the quality of prepared foods. Particularly in the meats, Loblaws is still largely factory farm show, and still behind the curve trumpeting things like "antibiotic and hormone free" (still raised inhumanely, often still low quality, but at least we're less likely to give your 8-year old daughter boobs!). It's gotten better, and for the more casual organic/natural shopper it likely is doing a good enough job to keep them from making separate trips to places like Whole Foods, but it's not remotely close to the point where Whole Foods shoppers would completely switch en masse. Eliminating artificial colours and flavours from some brands only gets them so far. I never went to Whole Foods in the first place simply because I wanted a version Memories of Kobe without red food colouring.
Always question whether there are sufficient Whole Foods shoppers to keep Whole Foods going. And to what degree price competition will hammer them.
I'm in complete agreement that about consumer motivation at Whole Foods being more comprehensive than a narrow band of product standards.
I started shopping there more often, many years ago; the reasons varied from demonstrably fresher seafood than your typical grocer, better variety of sausages, dry-aged steaks when
no mainstream grocer had such a thing, the idea that the whole product skew was simply of better quality, more support for local producers, free samples galore and many products or ideas
new to me.
But as I said, I think they've slipped. I rarely see product out for sample these days, I don't remember the last time they made me go 'wow' about a new product and in fact of a few of my old favourites seem to have vanished.
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In turn I've found myself back at the Big Carrot more, and upping the portion of my grocery from Loblaws.
Big Carrot: Ontario grown salad packs, great selection of wild mushrooms and other wild edibles, organic chicken in small portions, better selection of sunflower kitchen products than just about anywhere.
Loblaws: Competitive on organic produce (where offered), better prices on eco-friendly cleaning products than I've seen elsewhere, better selection price in certain categories of organic dry goods. More premium beef (dry aged, wagyu etc.)
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I do think the market is there for a Whole Foods, even 5-10% of the market would give them maybe 6 stores in Toronto proper?
But they have to be leading edge.
Natures' Emporium is a local organic/natural grocer in the north end of the region w/ambitious expansion plans too.