As Whole Foods Market reported another quarter of soft sales, it said it would close nine stores nationwide, including its store at 2584 Baseline Road in Boulder, according to Dow Jones reports.
The grocer also plans to close one of its stores in Colorado Springs.
The company reported sales of $4.9 billion in the 16-week quarter ending Jan. 15, up slightly from the $4.82 billion it reported during the same period last year. But earnings were down, with the company posting results of 30 cents per share for the quarter, well below the 47 cents per share it earned last year.
“In this increasingly competitive marketplace, we are committed to taking every step necessary to improve comps and deliver higher returns for our shareholders,” said John Mackey, Whole Foods co-founder and CEO, in a statement announcing the grocer’s quarterly earnings.
Whole Foods has had a long, high-profile position in Boulder, where iconic natural food entrepreneurs started such chains as Alfalfa’s and Wild Oats markets, both of which merged in 1996. A decade later, the surviving Wild Oats chain itself was acquired by Whole Foods.
Now the city is home to several natural food grocers, including Phoenix, Ariz.-based Sprouts, as well as homegrown grocers including a rejuvenated Alfalfa’s and Lucky’s Market.
But Whole Foods, known for its high quality, pricey wares, dwarfs smaller local and regional players. It had revenue of $16 billion in its last fiscal year, operates more than 460 stores nationwide and employs 87,000 people, according to its latest earnings release.
An employee at the Baseline store location confirmed Thursday morning that it would be closing April 9. That store had been a former Wild Oats location, and underwent a $2.9 million renovation in 2013.
The company’s Pearl Street store and its new store in Longmont were not on the closure list.
Jerd Smith: 303-473-1332, smithj@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/jerd_smith
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