This document outlines Luke Sand's strategic vision and plans for growth of the North Atlantic Whole Body program. The goals are to define the vision and direction, exceed financial targets, streamline communication, develop strong leadership, drive innovation, focus on customer service basics, and strengthen cross-merchandising between teams. Specific tactics proposed include setting clear goals, improving training, using technology more efficiently, strengthening vendor partnerships, and better promoting differentiation.

1. Luke Sand
North Atlantic
Whole Body
Innovations, Best
Practices
& Planning for growth

2. Strategic
Vision
• Define the direction and vision for the
North Atlantic Whole Body Program
• Exceed Financial Targets in a highly
diverse, competitive environment
• Stream Line and increase Communication to
create the strongest and most passionate
Whole Body Team possible
• Develop solid, lasting bench strength to
fulfill the region’s growth plan
• Drive innovation and efficiencies at the
program, store, department, and product level
• Back to Basics focus on customer service,
training, standards, and team development to
continually improve operations and execution
• Strengthen Cross Merchandizing and
Communication between regional teams
to drive sales

3. Define the Direction
and Vision for
North Atlantic
Whole
Body
• Work together to Actively Map out where we
want to be in 1year, 2years and The Future
• Set goals for Bench strength, Cross
Merchandizing, Technological efficiencies,
Training, Customer Service, Marketing,
Differentiation, Plan-o-gram implementation,
Vendor partnerships and initiatives, Promo
planning, Communication, and Store/regional
relationship, Department design/décor
• Define the programs we have currently and
how we can improve them, ie. clothing,
housewares, cross merchandising, promos,
marketing, allocations, holidays
• Define the programs we are implementing in
FY2016 and beyond, and communicate the
strategic vision for them to the STL, and WB
teams
• Work with the STL group to show how vital
and profitable Whole Body is and where it
can be integrated into the store.

4. Exceed Financial
Targets
• Exceed forecast sales and margin within each
Whole body Sub-team for FY 2016
• Drive differentiation to create and retain
customers
• Strengthen Partnerships:
I. Teams: reach out to the teams and help
make them feel included, challenge the
teams to greatness, help to teach and
develop retail execution
II. Store Leadership: communicate and work
together with the STL group to help execute
our programs, and achieve the highest
standards
III. Vendors: reach out to the vendors for
increased support with training, social media
content, and plan-o-gram assistance to foster
win/win partnership
IV. Global: collaborate and execute effectively
on global initiatives, and continually give
feedback
V. Marketing: Have vendors create content for
our social media streams, partner with
regional and national marketing to highlight
our differentiators

5. Stream line and
increase
Communication
• Question everything: It is crucial to foster
communication between the Regional team, Store
Leadership, and the Whole Body teams to increase
efficiency, stream line store operations, and foster a
team mentality
• Plan further out so we can communicate ahead of
time so both regional and store teams can best
execute
• Better not More: Find new ways to communicate to
the teams so we can most effectively disseminate
promos, allocations, standards, best practices and
resources
• Redesign regional share point so that the teams can
quickly and easily find information. Catalog all
documents sent out to the teams on the share point.
• Work with Regional Grocery, Produce, and Specialty
teams to better plan-o-gram, promote and cross
merchandize Housewares to best benefit the
customer and increase sales.
• Look at Promo ordering and scale selection to reflect
multiple store sizes. Create A,B,C selections for
promo pre-orders. Reflect this in the sign request to
maximize efficiency
• Promo Calendar: a monthly calendar with all major
regional and national promos, displays and flyer
items mapped out in color blocks

6. Develop solid,
lasting bench
strength
• We need to increase the passion, knowledge,
and education of all team members to
increase bench strength by improving the
inclusionary process
• Have three qualified candidates for each open
position: Buyer, ATL, TL
• Whole Body team members need to be
engaged, knowledgeable and passionate, and
part time work does not foster this. We need
to look at full the time part time ratio for
whole body and potentially change it. We
have the smallest teams in the store and a
change will not statistically change the store
ratio.
• This is a subject larger than Whole Body and
needs to be tackled with a concerted effort by
Whole Foods Leadership
• Come up with new and innovative ways to
train team members in product knowledge,
store operations and merchandizing – utilize
technology
• Find and capitalize on efficiencies to free up
time and energy to devote to Customer
service

7. Drive innovation
and Efficiencies
• Question everything we do:
I. Challenge leadership to find more efficient and innovative process’
at store level
II. Communication, how do we do it better?
• Look at programs from the store operations perspective to create
the most efficient and impactful programs before roll out, ie fixture
options for clothing, a singular supplier for hangers rolled out with
the clothing program
• Scale all programs so that all stores can participate if possible,
potentially A,B,C, size allotments
• Surface pro or similar tablet for all teams:
I. Increase efficiency by having all necessary technology on the floor
II. Use for ordering, email, and training
III. Have Vendors produce content for training, 5-10 minute
webinars/videos, or PowerPoint presentations either seasonally or
ideally to be rolled out with new product placement as part of the
plan-o-gram process
IV. Training can take place at anytime of the day on a schedule or
when work slows.
V. Create a well cataloged library (one resource) of trainings for both
product knowledge and store operations knowledge
• Partner with our suppliers to create and supply content for our
social media streams to coincide with seasonality and new product
roll out
• Partner with our suppliers to provide samples for passive sampling
to coincide with new product roll outs
• Create a bulk DIY program that is easily scalable for store size, but
can be merchandised on our existing display units. Bees wax
beads, shea, cocoa, and coconut oils, Epsom salt, jars and bottles
• Redesign departments with Body care 2.0 front and center, Create
our departments to reflect our luxury products
• Modular shelving to facilitate seasonal resets
• Better lighting in Whole Body to show off the beautiful packaging
• Use efficiencies to free up resources for training and customer
service
• Look for local products that are scalable

8. Back to Basics
• Customer service is a huge differentiator and
needs to be fostered through training
• Increase training of product knowledge,
department operations, merchandising and
standards to capitalize on this differentiators
and to develop bench strength
• Work with Store Leadership and WB teams to
maximize the impact of merchandising and
standards
• Market our differentiators such as Local, our
baseline standards, exclusive product,
Premium, and Organic standards more
effectively
• Look at Promo ordering and scale selection to
reflect multiple store sizes. Create A,B,C
selections for promo pre-orders. Reflect this
in the sign request to maximize efficiency
• Look to Synergy between regional programs
and store operations to find efficiencies
• Get Whole Body out of the department and
into the stores utilizing key staple items

9. Strengthen Cross
Merchandising
• Work with STL group to create buy in for an
expanded Whole Body cross merchandizing
program
• Use key items such as, protein, chia, flax,
commodity and sale items to drive sales
outside of the department. High margin,
high ring items
• Find new and innovative fixtures to
facilitate cross merchandising
• Work with Regional Grocery, Produce and
Specialty teams to place product where it
makes the most sense and will have the
most impact for the customer.
• Add Housewares into Regional Grocery,
Produce and Specialty promo plans and
plan-o-grams to drive sales

13. Luke Sand Bio
I have fond memories of growing up with the Natural
Products industry in the 80s, going to mom and pop health
food stores and Coops and I am very happy to say that many
of the brands of my childhood are thriving. I grew up
vegetarian in the woods of NH, the son of a glass artist and a
stay at home mother. My childhood was filled with woodland
adventures, horses, home made whole wheat bread, many of
the best artist and craftsmen in the country and a whole lot
of hippies. It was a wonderful, creative upbringing that
fostered health, sport and learning of all manner.
That upbringing informed my choice to look for employment
at Bread and Circus while my wife pursued her Masters in
Civil Engineering (which I also studied at Tufts), and I am
happy to say that I have worked my way around the store
since, indulging my curiosity and love of food,
entrepreneurship, and operations all the way.
I started in the Bakery, moving to Specialty (and gaining 15
Lbs, we could still find true Brillat-Savarin). My next food
adventure was helping to kick off the regions first in-store
roasting program. From there I saw an opportunity and took
it as Grocery buyer. I learned a great deal in Grocery and
brought those skills to Whole Body as an Atl in a one off Non-
Perishable department comprised of a combined
Grocery/Whole Body team. We turned around several years
of negative comps, revitalizing Whole Body in the process. It
was a wild couple of years, and a wonderful ride, learning to
lead, all while absorbing the vast knowledge held within WB.
Six months before our 2007 expansion, I convinced my Store
Leader and Regional Leadership that it was time to split WB
from Grocery and I appreciatively have been the Whole Body
Team Leader since.
I currently use my sports nutrition knowledge to help drive
my running, skiing, biking and sports of all sorts. I’m very
happy to say I set a post high school PR in the 5K (17:47) and
the half marathon (1:28) this fall. I also love problem solving
of all sorts, wood working, furniture design, architecture and
interior design.