Running head: UNIT V CASE STUDY
Unit V Case Study
Columbia Southern University
Whole Foods a specialty grocery giant and Amazon an American multinational e-
commerce giant merged an acquisition deal in the ballpark of a little over 13 million dollars in
2017. What began as a mere written note resulted in full fruition for the mega giant Amazon,
catapulting the company into the grocery business. With just a few years into the business,
Whole Foods has only tugged Amazons aspirations as grocery food giant. These few short years
have stimulated Amazons businesspersons for more research in groceries success and e-
commerce conversion (Weise, K. 2019).
While this emergent has encountered its challenges with its bricks and clicks style of
doing business, it has come to discernment, all perishable items
and shelf-stable items don’t mix, nor stand the test of time regardless of its ordering and
delivery process from corporation to consumer. Amazon has realized this is a journey with
Whole Foods and not a race, while also readjusting their way of thinking and doing business,
gaining insight culturally. Amazon and the way forward for success, was not to step on toes or
compromising Whole Foods foundational vision (Weise, K. 2019).
With the difference in cultures of business, Amazon learned quickly the brick and mortar
Whole Foods and their e-commerce needed an adjustment. Distribution from abundance of
warehouses at an equal amount greater more than 100, 000 square footage versus the 20,000
square footage of a grocery store are differences in integration into the e-commerce and grocery
delivery market. Culturally looking at it from Amazons standpoint, the company had to come to
terms with large does not always mean efficient in groceries, but efficient in terms of
Unit V Case Study
Columbia Southern University
Whole Foods a specialty grocery giant and Amazon an American multinational e-
commerce giant merged an acquisition deal in the ballpark of a little over 13 million dollars in
2017. What began as a mere written note resulted in full fruition for the mega giant Amazon,
catapulting the company into the grocery business. With just a few years into the business,
Whole Foods has only tugged Amazons aspirations as grocery food giant. These few short years
have stimulated Amazons businesspersons for more research in groceries success and e-
commerce conversion (Weise, K. 2019).
While this emergent has encountered its challenges with its bricks and clicks style of
doing business, it has come to discernment, all perishable items
and shelf-stable items don’t mix, nor stand the test of time regardless of its ordering and
delivery process from corporation to consumer. Amazon has realized this is a journey with
Whole Foods and not a race, while also readjusting their way of thinking and doing business,
gaining insight culturally. Amazon and the way forward for success, was not to step on toes or
compromising Whole Foods foundational vision (Weise, K. 2019).
With the difference in cultures of business, Amazon learned quickly the brick and mortar
Whole Foods and their e-commerce needed an adjustment. Distribution from abundance of
warehouses at an equal amount greater more than 100, 000 square footage versus the 20,000
square footage of a grocery store are differences in integration into the e-commerce and grocery
delivery market. Culturally looking at it from Amazons standpoint, the company had to come to
terms with large does not always mean efficient in groceries, but efficient in terms of
