Could Whole Foods Become Cheaper Than Traditional Grocery Store Shopping?


Crypto Whales Are Loading Up — Are You?

New research shows the biggest crypto buyers are back. And this time? They could hold for the possibility that Bitcoin will surpass $100,000 in 2024. You don’t want to miss the next massive crypto bull run like we saw in 2020 and 2021. To know exactly what’s going on and what to buy… Get Access To Benzinga’s Best Crypto Research and Investments For Only $1.


Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Prime shoppers can soon apply a 10-percent discount to already discounted products at Whole Foods, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Coupled with free deliveries and 5-percent cash back on in-store Amazon Visa charges, this cut could ultimately make Whole Foods a more competitive grocery alternative — and Prime a more profitable purchase.

ENTER TO WIN $500 IN STOCK OR CRYPTO

Enter your email and you'll also get Benzinga's ultimate morning update AND a free $30 gift card and more!

The Rating

Morgan Stanley analysts Brian Nowak, Vincent Sinisi and Jonathan Lanterman maintained an Overweight rating on Amazon with a $1,700 price target.

The Thesis

The analysts estimate only 62 percent of Whole Foods shoppers are Prime members, and CNBC reported a 75-percent overlap. As Amazon’s subscription growth begins to slow, capturing the rest of the Whole Foods crowd could prove meaningful.


Want Private Access to Benzinga Analyst?

Check out the latest strategies our team of experts are using every week so that you can always adapt to the market like the pros!—Get FULL Access to This Week's Webinar Here.


Incremental price cuts may ultimately make Whole Foods cheaper than traditional grocers, and considering U.S. households spend an average $6,000 per year on groceries, the savings “can go a long way toward justifying Prime membership...even at $120 per year,” the Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note.

The pricing strategy has proven effective. Amazon already slashed Whole Foods average prices about 5 percent year-over-year so that, meat excluded, the basket trades at a mere 6-percent premium to conventional rivals.

“These reductions have been important to driving traffic and changing Whole Foods perception,” Morgan Stanley wrote, noting that 70 percent of non-customers cite high prices.

Price Action

At time of publication, Amazon shares were trading around $1,579.

Related Links:

Amazon's Q1: A Bullish Sell-Side Reacts

Munster: Amazon Leads In Automated Retail, A $50B Opportunity


Crypto Whales Are Loading Up — Are You?

New research shows the biggest crypto buyers are back. And this time? They could hold for the possibility that Bitcoin will surpass $100,000 in 2024. You don’t want to miss the next massive crypto bull run like we saw in 2020 and 2021. To know exactly what’s going on and what to buy… Get Access To Benzinga’s Best Crypto Research and Investments For Only $1.


Posted In: Analyst ColorTop StoriesAnalyst RatingsAmazon PrimeBrian NowakJonathan LantermanMorgan StanleyVincent SinisiWhole Foods