Blue Apron CEO Sees One Gigantic Transformation As Reason to Silence Amazon Fans
Blue Apron (APRN) - Get Report CEO Matt Salzberg called the timing of Amazon.com's (AMZN) - Get Report acquisition of Whole Foods "interesting" as it relates to the meal kit delivery service's IPO, which took place shortly beforehand, but contended the company's strategy has not changed.
"In some ways, it's applicable to our space; and in some ways, obviously, what they're doing, it's much different than what we're doing," Salzberg said at Recode's Code Conference on Wednesday. "So you know it was interesting timing, as it related to our IPO for sure, but it didn't change, obviously, our business strategy and in terms of what we focus on as a company."
The CEO of the struggling meal kit delivery company, whose shares are lower nearly 50% since first going public in June, argued brands like his remain relevant.
"It's crazy to think people are all going to get their food in the same way or consume one brand of food for everything they eat all day long," he said.
Salzberg also stated his company does more than just deliver meals, adding that it offers cooking supplies, sells cookbooks, and forges retail partnerships.
"We're not going to go and be a head-to-head mass-market grocer like Amazon and Whole Foods are trying to be," he added. "We don't want to be everything to everybody. We are a curated brand with a point of view on home cooking ... and that lifestyle that surrounds that."
"We're in the very earliest innings of a gigantic transformation of the offline food industry," Salzberg contended.
Shares of Blue Apron were slightly lower in early afternoon trading.
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