It might surprise you to know that I am really quite domesticated. I regularly shop for food with my wife. She likes it because I usually pay. I like it because it keeps me in touch with consumer trends and retailers prices.
So, when I had an hour to spare in London yesterday I decided to pop into the new Whole Foods store in Kensington High Street. In the unlikely event that you have missed all the publicity I should perhaps point out that it is the first Whole Foods outlet outside North America, where there are 200 of them, and follows three years of assessment of the UK market after the owners bought the UK Fresh & Wild business.
I should say at the outset that the new store is very impressive. It's huge and features lots of organic products, but not exlusively so. The main entrance, for instance, featured Boyd's New Forest Strawberries that carried a LEAF logo. Whole Foods stresses that its suppliers are all identified and traceable and produce to high standards of safety and animal welfare. They also claim to source as locally as possible and to be concerned with the health of their customers.
That said there were plenty of exotic offers from around the world as well as luxury chocolates for those with a sweet tooth.
All round the walls were statements containing key words like environment, welfare, alternative energy, sustainability, and so on, that the company claims guides it in all its dealings. In short the presentation of the store and the comprehensive range of goods in it were immaculate. British retailers could learn a lot. It was clearly designed to appeal to the wealthy and socially aware residents of Kensington and Chelsea and with prices to match.
Whether such a store would succeed in other areas or other cities that do not enjoy the same level of demographic prosperity may be questionable. I did not find out whether there are plans to open more because the people at the enquiry desk had been told they were not allowed to speak to the press and no-one from the press office was available even though I had told them I would be coming.
Despite this somewhat authoritarian attitude that belied the friendly posters on the walls and the helpfulness of the serving staff I was impressed. It was only their second day after opening, I suppose, and under such circumstances I am prepared to be charitable. If Whole Foods does succeed and spread it may provide an interesting new market for those UK producers of fruit, veg, milk and meat who can match its quality aspirations.