Natural Products Market

2005 was a great year for the U.S. natural product industry - it grew 9.1% to $51.4 billion, according to Natural Foods Merchandiser's annual Market Review.

Natural products retailers account for half the sales at $25.5 billion and, for the first time since 1999, they experienced double-digit growth at 10.9%. Internet sales are growing rapidly, reaching $558 million. Mass-market (food, drug, club and convenience stores) rose 8%; direct-to-consumer sales rose 6.4%.

Whole Foods Market, of course, led chain sales growing 22.4% to $5.03 billion in revenue. Little sister Wild Oats grew 7.3% to $1.12 billion in sales. The number of specialty stores that carry natural products, such as gourmet food retailers, personal care stores, and health clubs, jumped from 4,014 in 2004 to 18,300 in 2005 and over $1.2 billion in sales. On the negative side, supplement retailer GNC's sales declined by 15.3% to $1.37 billion.

Read more here.