Whole Foods Market Inc unveils its new 365 grocery chain on Wednesday with a bright and airy store that offers lower prices and more technology than the company’s namesake shops. To thrive, though, experts say 365 has to beat its many rivals without hijacking customers from Whole Foods itself.
The chain, which debuts in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood, is critical to Whole Foods. In the fiercely competitive market for fresh fruit and vegetables, its sales are being whittled away by Sprouts Farmers Market Inc and other rivals who are undercutting Whole Foods on price, if not always matching it on quality.
