• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

'Skills nobody can take': Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an 'AI-proof' career

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

'Skills nobody can take': Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an 'AI-proof' career

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme
RetailWalmart

Walmart’s Organic Food Push Faces a Setback

By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 25, 2016, 3:50 PM ET
Video Poster
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Walmart is reportedly phasing out the Wild Oats organic food brand from the retailer’s store shelves, a move that comes just two years after it first made a big bet on the brand.

The Wall Street Journal has reported the Wild Oats products will be phased out in the coming months, citing sources familiar with the matter, and instead focus on bringing in organic food items by focusing on the store brand Great Value and fresh produce.

This pivot is important for a few reasons. Walmart is the nation’s largest grocery chain, but a move away from Wild Oats after just a few years of backing this initiative indicates it hasn’t yet figured out how best to sell organic products to consumers that are spending lot more on the category. Globally, organic food sales are expected to post double-digit gains over the next several years.

But retailers haven’t yet figured out the perfect formula. Walmart still is clearly tinkering with the formula. Target is also planning to transform its food category this year to better compete in the space. For a while, it seemed that Whole Foods Market (WFM) had successfully pegged the market, but recently sales have slowed as Walmart, Target and others bet big on organics, resulting in weaker pricing power for Whole Foods. Now, Whole Foods is launching a new chain with lower prices.

The grocery business is a challenging segment of consumer goods. Margins are razor thin, and competition is high when considering the vast amount of options available to consumers, including increased interest in buying foods from e-commerce businesses.

At Walmart, Wild Oats staples like jars of sauce were selling well. But the brand just didn’t meet expectations, WSJ reports, even though it seems executives concede the retailer didn’t execute as well as it could have when it comes to distribution and marketing for those goods.

About the Author
By John KellContributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence

John Kell is a contributing writer for Fortune and author of Fortune’s CIO Intelligence newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Retail


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.