WFM Company Profile

Whole Foods Market, Inc. is a Texas corporation incorporated in 1980. The Company is based in Austin, Texas and conducts business through various wholly-owned subsidiaries. Unless otherwise specified, references to Whole Foods Market or the Company in this Report include its consolidated subsidiaries. We operate in one reportable segment, natural and organic foods supermarkets.

We opened our first store in Austin, Texas in 1980. Our stores average approximately 33,000 square feet in size and approximately $28 million in annual sales. Our stores are supported by regional distribution centers, bakehouse facilities, commissary kitchens, seafood-processing facilities, produce procurement centers and a coffee roasting operation.

Our goal is to become an international brand synonymous with not just natural and organic foods, but with being the best food retailer in every community in which we are located. We believe our heavy emphasis on perishable products is helping us reach that goal, differentiating our stores from conventional supermarkets and enabling us to attract a broader customer base. We believe that all shoppers, not just natural and organic food shoppers, appreciate great produce, dairy, meat, seafood, bakery and prepared foods, and it is our strength of execution in perishables that has attracted many of our most loyal customers.

The Natural Products Industry

Natural foods can be defined as foods that are minimally processed, largely or completely free of artificial ingredients, preservatives and other non-naturally occurring chemicals and as near to their whole, natural state as possible. Organic products are grown through methods intended to support and enhance the earth’s natural balance. Generally, organic food products are produced using:

agricultural management practices intended to promote and enhance eco-system health;

no genetically-engineered seeds or crops, sewage sludge, long-lasting pesticides, herbicides or fungicides;

livestock management practices intended to promote healthy, humanely treated animals by providing organically-grown feed, fresh air and outdoor access while using no antibiotics or growth hormones; and

food processing practices intended to protect the integrity of the organic product and disallow irradiation, genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”) or synthetic preservatives.

Products

We offer a broad product selection with a strong emphasis on perishable foods designed to appeal to both natural foods and gourmet shoppers. Most of our products are from natural food vendors; however, we do sell a limited selection of conventional national brands that meet our quality standards.

Quality Standards

A primary part of our Company mission is to promote vitality and well-being for all individuals by supplying the highest quality, most wholesome foods available. We evaluate quality in terms of nutrition, freshness, appearance and taste. Our search for quality is a never-ending process involving the careful judgment of buyers throughout the Company.

We carefully evaluate each and every product that we sell.

We feature foods that are free from artificial preservatives, colors, flavors and sweeteners.

We are passionate about great tasting food and the pleasure of sharing it with each other.

We are committed to foods that are fresh, wholesome and safe to eat.

We seek out and promote organically grown foods.

We strive to provide food and nutritional products that support health and well-being.

Our standards require that seafood comes from deep, clean and clear waters or from aquaculture farms where environmental concerns are a priority, and our seafood is never treated with chlorine or other chemicals, which is common practice in the food retailing industry. In addition, Whole Foods Market has championed innovative production standards to improve the quality and safety of the meat and poultry sold in our stores, while also supporting the better treatment and health of the animals.

Animal welfare requirements currently mandatory for any meat and poultry sold by Whole Foods Market include:

no antibiotics or added growth hormones;

an annual affidavit from each producer outlining the raising and handling practices, feed, facility design, environmental conditions, employee training, medical practices and animal welfare at the farm, in transportation and throughout processing;

annual inspection of each producer by Whole Foods Market; and

successful completion of an independent third-party food safety audit of each processing plant and a humane slaughter audit according to a rating system developed by renowned animal welfare and facility design expert Dr. Temple Grandin.

Competition

Food retailing is a large, intensely competitive industry. Our competition varies from region to region and includes local, regional and national conventional and specialty supermarkets, smaller specialty stores, and restaurants, each of which competes with us on the basis of price, quality, service or a combination of these factors. We believe our focus on quality and service at competitive prices differentiates us in this segmented marketplace.

Natural and organic foods are one of the fastest growing segments of food retailing today. Most supermarkets offer at least a limited selection of these products, while some have chosen to expand their selection more aggressively. We believe it works to our benefit for conventional 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, they are more likely to become Whole Foods Market customers since we are the category leader for natural and organic products, offering what we believe is the largest selection and most informed customer service at competitive prices. We believe our continued strong comparable store sales growth is evidence of the gateway experience.