Last week Whole Foods Market reported another outstanding quarter, “producing the best results in our company’s 32-year history,” according to Co-CEO John Mackey.
For the quarter ended April 8, 2012, Whole Foods reported a profit of $117.7 million, a 31% increase over the same quarter last year. They also reported the following:
- Sales up 14% to $2.67 billion
- Gross margin widened to 36.3% from 35.6%
- Same store sales up 9.5%
Although the natural and organic foods sold by Whole Foods tend to be more expensive than the groceries at traditional supermarkets, its sales have continued to grow, which has helped shield the company from higher food costs. At the same time, Whole Foods has been trying to come across as more value-oriented in order to attract more price-conscious shoppers.
The company’s continued success has resulted in a “positive” outlook from Standard & Poor’s.