Whole Foods Franchise In USA Cost, Profit, How to Apply, Requirement, Investment, Review

It’s impossible not to know of Whole Foods Market if you’re into health and wellness. This supermarket chain has grown to more than 500 locations (in spite of higher food prices) and is well-known for selling organic products from fresh produce, dairy, meat, kitchen essentials to desserts.

For over 40 years, Whole Foods has garnered a loyal following as well as their share of critics. Hater’s gonna hate right? In spite of the criticism, Whole Foods remain continues to attract health enthusiasts and bring in annual revenues of more than $385 billion.

Table of Contents

Whole Foods Franchise Wiki

Unfortunately, Whole Foods is not open for franchising. Every store is company owned, even the ones outside of the United States. There has been no official statement explaining why the company won’t franchise. Some speculate it’s because the supermarket chain follows strict operations and prefers full control over the business operations.

But just because Whole Foods won’t franchise doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two about the business to benefit your entrepreneurial quest. Below are some facts on the supermarket chain that might help you in the long run because who knows, maybe someday, Whole Foods might just open their doors to franchising.

Whole Foods Franchise Benefits

Let’s say you can franchise Whole Foods. What would the advantages be in running this supermarket chain? Here are a few you can expect.

Big Name

Whole Foods is found in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom but even in the United States alone the supermarket is already well-known. They’re considered a giant in the supermarket industry ranking 5th in their Most Popular Grocery Stores list. Whole Foods being owned by Amazon also makes them a pretty big brand.

So if you do get to franchise a Whole Foods, know that you’re doing business with one of the largest groceries in the United States.

Healthy Products

As mentioned above, Whole Foods only sells healthy products. They stand by their beliefs that they even put out a list of banned harmful ingredients that you will never find in their stores and assure you of the certifications they have so you know that they’re pretty much legit.

Getting into a healthy lifestyle seems to be on a rising trend so if you ever franchise a Whole Foods supermarket, then you’ll be able to reel in the growing number of health conscious crowd that are looking for a certified all-natural grocery store to get their supplies from.

See Also: Gong Cha ‌Franchise‌ In USA

Innovations

Grocery shopping at Whole Foods is already easy with the features they’ve provided such as online ordering, delivery, and pick up. But that’s not all. Whole Foods is going even further by making sure shopping with them is done in a seamless and high-tech fashion.

Some Whole Foods locations have been given a total makeover by Amazon. Shoppers can now go inside the store, pick the items they want, and simply walk out of the store without going through a cashier. Instead, it’ll be charged directly to your credit card which you will be billed moments later.

We’re not so sure if all Whole Foods will be changed to this setup. But this just goes to show that the supermarket chain will never be left behind when it comes to innovation.

Challenges of a Whole Foods Franchise

Whole Foods, like any other business, will bring a set of challenges. Here are a few you can expect should you franchise one near you:

See Also: Jimmy John’s In USA

Controversies

Whole Foods has been the subject of controversies through the years. One of them is the “BMI Discount” issue wherein employees can receive an additional 10% off discount than their usual 20% store discount if they have a BMI below 24. Another issue was the selling of rabbit meat in their supermarkets.

Controversies like these may have happened a long time ago but these are still remembered and are mentioned once in a while by activists that can scar Whole Foods’ reputation.

Packaging

Whole Foods’ packaging has been the subject of criticisms. One was the packaging of a peeled whole orange in a plastic container. Another was the overpriced asparagus water. Though these were all addressed and changed by management, overpriced items with questionable packaging still pop up from time to time.

Whole Paycheck

See Also: Auntie Anne’s Franchise In USA

Whole Foods has been given the nickname “Whole Paycheck” for the longest time for being a supermarket that sells very expensive products. Even though the acquisition by Amazon has made them become a little bit affordable, Whole Foods is still known to be quite expensive than other major grocery stores in the United States.

Whole Foods Franchise Facts

Total Units	Over 500
Incorporated Name	Whole Foods Market
Franchising Since	Does Not Allow Franchising
Industry	Supermarket
Subsector	Food and Beverage

Whole Foods Franchise Cost

As mentioned above, Whole Foods is not open for franchising. But estimates suggest Whole Foods would have a franchise fee of $50,000 (minimum) if they ever decide to allow this option. After all, even convenience store concepts like 7-Eleven have franchise fees that can reach $75,000 per location.

You can should expect the investment in any grocery store to reach millions in initial investment. The total startup cost of a supermarket depends a lot on the size and services offered. The bigger the space, the more expensive it would be to open. Here are some basic startup costs associated with a grocery store. Since Whole Foods is an upscale grocery, you’ll expect to pay higher costs to get started so that equipment, signage, and atmosphere match the brand perception.

Whole Foods Franchise Requirements

Land: You’ll need a large property in a commercial area of a city. Since Whole Foods usually open in more affluent, urban areas the cost to buy a property will be expensive. Expect to pay more than $1 million for the raw land.

See Also: Bodybrite Franchise In USA

Initial build out: Next you’ll need to build the structure for the Whole Foods. This will cost another $2 million at least when you consider labor, plumbing, electrical hookups, refrigeration, shelves, signs, checkouts, carts, and other essentials for a modern grocer.
Initial Inventory: The initial inventory, including fruits, vegetables, meats, drinks, for a Whole Foods Market will cost more than $200,000.
Insurance, permits, and other fees: There’s a lot of hoops to jump through when opening a grocery store. You’ll need to pay for insurance, building permits, and may even need a liquor license depending on where you open. All of these is anticipated to cost another $50,000 up front.

And like all other franchises, you should expect there to be ongoing royalty fees to cover advertising and other overhead from corporate. After considering all of the expenses above, it’s not hard to see that typical grocery stores operate on razor thin margins.

Whole Foods Franchise Profit

According to Exchange Right, the annual revenue for Whole Foods in the year 2020 was $385.06 Billion with a fiscal year revenue growth of 87.62%.According to reports, Whole Foods Market operates at a profit margin of more than 30%. This is extremely high margin for a grocery store in an industry that would be happy with a margin of 5%. That’s an appealing return for shareholders of the company.

See Also: Herbal Nail Bar Franchise In USA

Franchise revenue depends on a wide range of factors, as does profit. How much money you can make from any franchise depends on a number of specific factors such as franchise location, labor costs, commercial lease rates and a number of other factors.

Is the Whole Foods Franchise Right For You?

If you’re a health enthusiast with a financial status that can fit Whole Foods’ standards then this supermarket can be for you. You’ll just have to wait a few more years if Whole Foods will ever allow franchising for this dream to happen.

What is an alternative Whole Foods franchise?

If it’s a healthy business franchise you’re looking for, check out Jamba Juice. They’re a popular franchise in the United States and around the world that sells smoothies, juices and fresh fruit bowls.

See Also: Regal Nails Franchise In USA

To franchise Jamba Juice, expect the franchise fee to be $35,500 and initial investments to be around $290,050 to $ 741,500. Another option is Trader Joe’s that has a strong following in California.

There you have it! Whole Foods may not be franchising as of the moment but with this guide, you’ll be ready for them once an offer opens up.

FAQ

Is it profitable or not?

Ans: It is fast moving consumer good products, so there is fewer margins but your sale is too high. So, obviously you can make more profit from this business

Conclusion

So far we have shared the basics for this franchise. It is the most profitable franchise. You will never doubt your decision to start this franchise. Go ahead and achieve your goal. If you find more information please feel free to share with us. Share your thoughts and we will definitely contact you with new franchise and opportunities. Stay Tuned for more franchise. Thank you

Disclaimer: The information given in this article like investment may vary from place to place, so we are not sure about the investment part.

If you need any help from our team then please fill the contact form our team will contact you soon. And if you like this post then please share this post.