▲ Adidas
A bigger bite of the market
The athletic wear brand experienced a small public relations snafu this week when FIFA banned Luis Suarez, the star of Uruguay World Cup team, from the rest of the World Cup for biting a rival player in a match against Italy. Why was this a problem for Adidas? Suarez is literally their poster boy and can be seen in advertisements baring those very same teeth in what looks like a menacing chomp. But it doesn’t look like the incident will—ahem—take a bite out of Adidas’ sales. They quickly took down the offending ads and the company claims it is still on track to bank record sales of $2.7 billion this year, all thanks to their sponsorship the World Cup. Uruguay may have beaten Italy, but it will take more than one bad bite to stop Adidas.
▼ Whole Foods
That tares it
If you’re a regular Whole Foods customer, you’re likely willing to pay a couple of extra bucks extra for Almond Milk or Cinnamon Sugar-drizzled Kettlecorn—just as long as it’s all gluten free and fair trade. But even a free-spending Whole Foodie would be enraged by news that the high-end grocery store was caught charging customers extra in California stores. A one-year investigation by the state’s weight and measure inspectors—yes, they exist and they’re tough—found Whole Foods had gouged customers in a number of ways. For example, customers were charged for the weight of the containers holding their salad bar items and not just quinoa pilaf and marinated tofu themselves. The chain will face an $800,000 fine and has agreed to greater oversight by state officials. Other stores should take this as a warning—there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s got a tiny set of scales on his belt.
Blogs & Comment
Winners & Losers: Adidas bares its teeth, Whole Foods tips the scales
Trouble at the salad bar
By James Cowan
▲ Adidas
A bigger bite of the market
The athletic wear brand experienced a small public relations snafu this week when FIFA banned Luis Suarez, the star of Uruguay World Cup team, from the rest of the World Cup for biting a rival player in a match against Italy. Why was this a problem for Adidas? Suarez is literally their poster boy and can be seen in advertisements baring those very same teeth in what looks like a menacing chomp. But it doesn’t look like the incident will—ahem—take a bite out of Adidas’ sales. They quickly took down the offending ads and the company claims it is still on track to bank record sales of $2.7 billion this year, all thanks to their sponsorship the World Cup. Uruguay may have beaten Italy, but it will take more than one bad bite to stop Adidas.
▼ Whole Foods
That tares it
If you’re a regular Whole Foods customer, you’re likely willing to pay a couple of extra bucks extra for Almond Milk or Cinnamon Sugar-drizzled Kettlecorn—just as long as it’s all gluten free and fair trade. But even a free-spending Whole Foodie would be enraged by news that the high-end grocery store was caught charging customers extra in California stores. A one-year investigation by the state’s weight and measure inspectors—yes, they exist and they’re tough—found Whole Foods had gouged customers in a number of ways. For example, customers were charged for the weight of the containers holding their salad bar items and not just quinoa pilaf and marinated tofu themselves. The chain will face an $800,000 fine and has agreed to greater oversight by state officials. Other stores should take this as a warning—there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s got a tiny set of scales on his belt.