Reply #5: Do you work for WF? [View All]

[Dover]

Just curious, because of the authority with which you explain 'the history' of that store and your apparent loyalty to it.

I am not connected to either store or the food industry. Just my perception of how things unfolded.
I shopped regularly at the old WF downtown location so am familiar with it's style, etc. And yes, they created the high end organic base in Austin as well as ready-to-eat wholesome foods. But when Central Market opened its doors it WAS a whole new experience in shopping and while it had high end organic products, that was not it's 'contract' with its customers as it had been with WF. They simply had high end food of all varieties and a bazaar-like atmosphere and design. It was all the buzz and people flocked to it. So my observation was that HEB had done something very innovative (albeit, for the high end shopper).
To my knowledge, WF hadn't done anything like it, though I do think they created the environment that allowed Central Market to prosper. Then Central Market opened another successful market just south of the old downtown WF. So WF was now flanked on both sides and I feel certain they were feeling the pinch. So it 'seemed' their response was to build the huge current downtown WF which also 'seemed' to borrow many of the things that Central Market had done and in the process, 'seem' to have abandoned the very thing that at one time had been their signature and contract with their customers (as explained in the above article).

Now what was going on inside the business world of the two stores, and their motivations for their decisions is unknown to me. HEB is, to my knowledge, family owned and limited to Texas. WF has much more expansive ambitions and is beholding to shareholders. I'm speaking as a long time resident and customer of both stores, and my perception of how things unfolded. Perhaps it's fair to say both stores were competing with one another and both 'grew' from the experience, borrowing from one another.

But my point about the sidelining of serious organic shoppers is the sad lament of this story.