How Whole Foods has changed since its origins – and where it's going

Mark Ordan was the founder of Fresh Fields Markets, the Maryland-based natural foods chain that sold out to Whole Foods back in 1996. In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr. Ordan explains how Whole Foods raised prices after taking over — he had originally insisted on pricing consistent with mainstream grocers — and tied that strategy to the chain's problems with longtime, same-store growth. "The second problem, " he said, "is that Whole Foods was never as efficient an operator as some of these world-class retailers are."