BOULDER, Colo. -- Wild Oats Markets here is continuing its push to drive sales through aggressive promotions with an extensive buy-one, get-one free sale.
The Spring 2 for 1 sale, which began March 2 and runs through March 15, has more than 200 items on sale across a range of Center Store categories.
Most of the sale items in the weekly ad are name brands, and include: Nature's Path organic cereal, Cascadian Farm family-size packs of organic vegetables, Green Mountain organic fair trade coffee, Boulder Totally Natural chips, six-packs of Arrowhead Mountain Spring water, Seeds of Change organic entree bowls, Pet Guard organic cat treats and Balance bars.
The ad also includes buy-one, get-ones on several fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and HBC items.
The BOGO promotion is the latest example of the chain's effort to improve its price image as it seeks to reverse fourth-quarter losses and better compete with conventional and other natural/organic retailers. At the same time, Wild Oats is trying to attract a broader range of shoppers by offering more "beginner-friendly prices" and adding gourmet, kosher and gluten-free items.
The chain doesn't have a frequent shopper card, but it has sought to spur shopper loyalty through temporary incentive programs. This month, it introduced its Wild Bucks program that lets shoppers earn points when they buy flagged products through March 31. The points can be redeemed for gift cards good for future shopping trips.
On Saturday, March 12, it ran a 20%-off frozen food sale, with product sampling.
Wild Oats also said it plans to add to its higher-margin, private-label offerings. Private label contributed 12% of sales at the end of last year. The goal is to grow that portion to 20% by the end of this year, Perry Odak, president and chief executive officer, said during a recent year-end conference call.
