If Whole Foods were to open a store in Fort Washington/Oxon Hill/National harbor where would it be (Columbia: sales, 2015)

[Sampg1]

If Whole Foods were to open a store in Fort Washington/Oxon Hill/National harbor where would it be?

[North Beach Person]

I guess y'all haven't seen that Whole Foods is having, ummm, business model problems?

Whole Foods' Other Problem - Forbes

Why Whole Foods Is In Trouble - Business Insider

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/break...141019254.html

Expansion may not be on the horizon for awhile.

[Baghead]

Wegman's in Tantallon, to drive the Safeway out!

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I guess y'all haven't seen that Whole Foods is having, ummm, business model problems?

Whole Foods' Other Problem - Forbes

Why Whole Foods Is In Trouble - Business Insider

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/break...141019254.html

Expansion may not be on the horizon for awhile.

I wouldn't say that we won't see expansion. There are still stores opening up all over the place. They are still signing leases in the DC metro area. They just announced a lease for 70k sqft in Tysons.

I do agree that competition is heating up in the organic market space and that WFM needs to lower their price point.

I haven't really seen Wal-Mart's organic selection and when shopping at Safeway and Giant, their organic selections aren't as expansive as WFM. In addition, WFM offers a more unique product line for those who tend to cook more dynamic and unique dishes from scratch. They offer ingredients you usually can't find in a lower tier grocery store. This is from cuts of meat to cheeses. The only other store that can compete on that level is Wegmans. But not all foods in Wegmans is considered organic. Though they offer the unique products, those products may bot be organic or natural.

Therefore I think there is still a market out there for WFM. But an increasingly smaller one. As the first article pointed out, there are only so many affluent neighborhoods left that can support a WFM at its historical price point.

As far as where in Oxon Hill/Ft. Washington/national Harbor would WFM fit? I think it would be Oxon Hill on Oxon Hill Rd. North of the 210 interchange. Specifically in or near the shopping center with the movie theater. National Harbor is too hard to get in and out of, doesn't offer preferred parking that WFM desires, and doesn't have the 24/7 density. People go to National Harbor to have a good time, not shop for groceries.

Putting them at the shopping center puts them on a major road. Affords them the space to have their own parking, and provides better density in terms of free-flowing traffic along a major route while still being close enough to National Harbor and FT. Washington.

Here is a story a few years back asking about WFM at the BLVD.

Based on the guidelines established by Whole Foods for consideration of new retail locations, the old Borders space at the Boulevard is an ideal site. This is what the retailer says it is looking for:

• 200,000 people or more in a 20-minute drive time
• 25,000-50,000 square feet
• Large number of college-educated residents
• Abundant parking available for our exclusive use
• Stand alone preferred, would consider complementary
• Easy access from roadways, lighted intersection
• Excellent visibility, directly off of the street
• Must be located in a high traffic area (foot and/or vehicle)

UPDATE: I had a very pleasant (albeit somewhat disappointing) conversation earlier today with Marc Katz of H&R Retail, Whole Foods’ master broker for Maryland. He explained that in Whole Foods’ view, there were a couple of concerns with the old Borders Books space at the Boulevard at Capital Centre. First and foremost, he said, the presence of Wegmans at nearby Woodmore Town Center “takes a big bite of the supermarket dollars in the surrounding zip codes,” which includes the Boulevard. While the area does meet the minimum demographic thresholds, he’s concerned that it may not be dense enough to support both Wegmans and Whole Foods. Katz’s second concern was a bit more curious. He said the old Borders location didn’t have enough exclusive parking in front of the store and wasn’t visible enough from the street. Really?! Looking back that aerial photo of the Boulevard, and particularly the location around the old Borders, it’s hard to imagine how much more parking or visibility a grocery store of that size would need or expect to get.
Katz seemed to be skeptical of the idea that grocery stores in suburban Maryland would attract high numbers of walkers and transit riders who will buy significant amounts of groceries; thus, the presence of the Largo Town Center Metro Station adjacent to the Boulevard didn’t appear to weigh heavily in his calculus.
At the present time, Katz said, Whole Foods believes Riverdale Park is the only viable option to locate one of its stores in Prince George’s County. They’re committed to that project–and only that project¬–in the county, at least for the time being. If the Riverdale Park location is delayed because of litigation over the rezoning of the Cafritz property site, he suspects Prince George’s won’t see a Whole Foods in the county for quite some time.

Largo is transit-ready for Whole Foods - Greater Greater Washington

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I guess y'all haven't seen that Whole Foods is having, ummm, business model problems?

Whole Foods' Other Problem - Forbes

Why Whole Foods Is In Trouble - Business Insider

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/break...141019254.html

Expansion may not be on the horizon for awhile.

Its interesting that they didn't see that coming and planned better for it. Business 101. If you have a good thing you will eventually have competition. I remember hearing that they are now expanding their scope of what they previously identified as their core to build in areas that are under-served but have the disposable income to support a WFM. Hence locations like Riverdale and Rt. 1 in AlexVA. I don't know where you could put one but like Adelphi pointed out OHR would be a could spot. so would somewhere off 210 since it is so well traveled. If 210, I would look at shopping centers in Accokeek that face 210.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by UrbanScholar

Its interesting that they didn't see that coming and planned better for it. Business 101. If you have a good thing you will eventually have competition. I remember hearing that they are now expanding their scope of what they previously identified as their core to build in areas that are under served and have the disposable income to support a WFM. Hence locations like Riverdale and Rt. 1 in AlexVA

They still have pretty good brand recognition. I think growth is still there but the 5 times return is pretty much over. They will still serve a niche that is above Safeway,Giant, and certainly Wal-Mart, but is under Balduccis. They will still be a destination store more on par with Wegmans in terms of how far people will drive to go to a specific store.

My family always drives to the Wegman's in Woodmore and sometimes Columbia and multiple times to the WFM in Silver Spring. The WFM in Riverdale will be a breath of fresh air. I can practically bike to it.

There is one thing I will never buy at WFM though. The seafood. Way too expensive. I'll drive down to the wharf in DC if I want fresh seafood. I love seafood, but not that much. I'll live if it isn't wild caught. lol

Ft. Washington/National Harbor/Oxon Hill I think can support a WFM. I don't think it would prefer to be tucked back into Ft. Washington though. I think 210 gets too rural too fast even though there are tons of cars during rush hour. I don't know. Maybe 210 would be a good spot.

[WhoDatInMD]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I guess y'all haven't seen that Whole Foods is having, ummm, business model problems?

Whole Foods' Other Problem - Forbes

Why Whole Foods Is In Trouble - Business Insider

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/break...141019254.html

Expansion may not be on the horizon for awhile.

This is from less than a year ago but during an earnings call the CEO laid out a plan to expand from 350 to 1200 stores over the next few years, given their declining sales and marketshare.

As part of its expansion strategy, Whole Foods is moving into malls, according to Todd Sullivan, a general partner at Rand Strategic Partners. But the company is clustering in shopping centers with higher-end retailers, because lower-end malls are struggling.

How Inequality Is Hurting Whole Foods

[CBMD]

I believe the chances of an WFM at OH/FW/NH are less than zero, at least while Westphalia remains unresolved. And even then I think Harris Teeter, Wegmans, Giant, in that order are much more likely at Westphalia.

The new WFM in Columbia has only 10 checkouts. The old WFM in SS has upgraded to 18 checkouts. That's all you need to know.

Was in the new Safeway facing 301, at the intersection of Croom and Osborne roads. It's the pits. Lighting that's 30 years out of date. Big cracks in the concrete floor right in front of the checkouts. Bizzaro!

[adelphi_sky]

A Trader Joes would fit nicely in National Harbor though. I went to trader Joe's in Silver Spring yesterday. I still don't get it. While people are fighting for it to come to their neighborhood. the food selection is pretty pedestrian. They don't even sell the one frozen food item I went to them specifically for. They are okay for a grab and go, but as far as shopping to prepare a somewhat fancy meal, they are lacking.

[papichulo2]

people talk about whole foods to much whats so great about it??