Whole Foods ponders move into organic clothing
Have you ever felt chafed by the inconvenience of having to go one place for your bulk bulgur wheat and another for your Guatemalan organic cotton poncho? Well we’ve got good news: From here on in you can point your Lexus SUV in one direction only, to organic grocer Whole Foods. The retailer is contemplating selling organic clothing and linens in its new flagship store in Austin, Texas, and possibly other stores if the move is successful. Whole Foods is nothing if not healthy (ha ha): Its fourth-quarter profits were up 27 percent. Analysts believe that if any store can jumpstart the moribund organic clothing industry — such clothes remain difficult to find, expensive, and, finicky fashionistas might say, less-than-hip — the upscale food mecca can. Last year sales of organic foods and other organic products hit $42.8 billion, up 8.1 percent from the prior year.
