What else is fueling growth?
The natural food industry has continued to grow at around 10% or so. Each time Whole Foods (WFMI ) opens up a new store, that’s a new distribution opportunity for us. That’s true for Wild Oats (OATS ), as well, which is the second-largest retailer. So we’re gaining additional sales by their growth, and there’s significant growth within existing stores, as well. Q: What are some new opportunities for the company? A: We have tremendous distribution in markets like Portland, Seattle, and Denver, where we sell to all of the major grocery chains — Safeway (SWY ), Kroger (KR ), Albertson’s (ABS ). So we’re expanding into new regions like New York and New Jersey at major chains and a lot of independent grocery stores. There’s still tremendous upside. Q: Many supermarket chains are experiencing weakness. Does that limit growth? A: It means that we have to be careful about where we go. So, generally, the more innovative, upscale grocery stores have still done very well. And it means…at some
