Whole Foods boss John Mackey may yet regret his admission that his stores sell ‘junk’ food but his supposed gaffe is not quite as Ratneresque as it may have appeared.
From an issues management perspective there are crucial differences. He was trying to be honest and outline his belief that his business had strayed from its original principles. Gerald Ratner’s famous words – beloved of media trainers everywhere – exposed his glee at selling ‘crap’ to customers.
So while Ratner’s jewellery chain collapsed under the weight of the media fallout from Gerald’s confession, there has been plenty of debate over Mr Mackey’s position in the ‘Bad PR Hall of Fame’.
At time of writing it is still one of the most viewed stories on The Guardian’s website – surely the newspaper whose readers are most likely to embrace Whole Foods’ renewed ethos – and many readers commenting on the story have praised his honesty.
Nevertheless, I bet his PR company have recommended another session of media training for the notoriously outspoken boss and blogger.