Two years ago, speaking at a conference table at his offices in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market founder and then co-Chief Executive Officer John Mackey predicted imminent doom for rival Amazon.com in the fiercely competitive grocery business. “Amazon Fresh is their Waterloo,” said Mackey, known paradoxically both for his earthy passion for organic foods and his imperious business swagger. “What’s the one thing people want? Convenience. You can’t do that with distribution centres and trucks.”
Mackey got one thing right: Years ago Amazon realised that the supply chain it pioneered for books, electronics and other hard goods wasn’t suitable for perishable
