Whole Foods Too Pricey For Shoppers
Whole Foods Market
(WFMI)
can't seem to shake its rich-kid persona -- which has not surprisingly proved a liability in a time of economic strife.
The grocery chain posted a 32% drop in second-quarter earnings, as consumers cut back on pricey foods and stick to private-label products.
TheStreet Recommends
During the quarter, the company earned $27.3 million, or 19 cents a share, missing forecasts of 19 cents. This compared with earnings of $40 million, or 29 cents, last year.
Sales remained flat at $1.9 billion, but same-store sales dropped 4.8% during the quarter.
Despite the hesitance of consumers to purchase expensive organic foods, shares of Whole Foods managed to rebound during the second quarter, as it cut costs and got a major investment.
On Wednesday shares plummeted 9% in afternoon trading, to close at $20, but regained some momentum in after-market trading, climbing 8% to $21.60.
Copyright 2009 TheStreet.com Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
