A recent Food Marketing Institute summit focused exclusively on natural foods and highlighted Wild Oats Community Market as a model to follow. 40 mainstream retailers attended, proof that the natural foods industry is no longer a niche market.
The conference goal was to help mainstream grocers and pharmacies gain market share with shoppers seeking one-stop shopping to meet all of their health-related needs. "We believe the whole health concept is going to be the major driver of the supermarket industry in the next few years," said Roy White, executive director of the General Merchandise Distributors Council's educational foundation.
One roundtable discussion promoted the idea of hiring produce, health and beauty care, and natural foods category managers, as well as nutritionists and "earth people" to lend credibility to the store image.
Attendees included: Bergen Brunswig Drug Co., Bristol Myers Squibb, Food Circus Supermarkets, Nabisco, Pfizer, Pratt Foods, Procter & Gamble, SUPERVALU Pharmacies, and Wegmans Food Markets.
Source: Natural Foods Merchandiser: http://www.nfm-online.com
