Emblematic of the slow but steady rise in health and wellness awareness, the gold-standard of ‘conscious capitalism,’ natural grocer Whole Foods is taking its brand and business acumen into the health resort sector.

"We have the perfect vehicle for this," Whole Foods Market co-CEO John Mackey told USA Today. "Think of it as a center where people would go for a day, a weekend or a week for healthy lifestyle education."

Call it a spa, resort or "healthy lifestyle education center," it's planned to open in the brand's Austin, Texas, hometown within three years—a pilot project that could catapult the company into the lucrative market pioneered by Canyon Ranch or Pritikin, or it could be another failure along the lines of the five education-focused Wellness Clubs that Whole Foods tested in 2006, including a location in Dallas.Continue reading...

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Designer Narciso Rodriguez reinvents himself with lower price points and a partnership with eBay. [WSJ]

Blockbuster will close one in five retail stores, facing mail-order and digital competition. [Times of London]

Hormel's Jennie-O brand is heavily featured on The Biggest Loser. [BrandWeek]

To keep anxious advertisers happy, Cablevision borrows popups and banner ads from its online competitors and adapts them for cable. [WSJ]

(More headlines: Cadbury, "Buy American," Serena Williams.)Continue reading...