Amazon deal with Whole Foods squeezing local suppliers
The Amazon-Whole Foods deal that closed last year is taking a toll on local businesses, according to a local supplier, Michael Kanter, the founder of Eliot's Adult Nut Butters.
“It’s just getting more difficult to both get started in Whole Foods… and then to keep growing in the company,” Kanter told FOX Business’ Ashley Webster on “Varney & Co.”
The prospect of working regionally is diminishing and essentially creating more costs for local suppliers, Kantor said.
“The barriers to getting to other regions are definitely growing, which that’s a challenge for small business,” he said.
Despite trying to work with local regional players, Kantor’s’ Oregon-based business continues to struggle with getting “responses” or “facetime” with companies he said.
Even so, vendors ultimately want to create partnerships, Kantor added.
“We want it to be a two-way street,” he said. “I think for a lot of companies it’s feeling less and less like a two-way partnership with Whole Foods and Amazon.”
