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The decision by Whole Foods Market to cancel planned Edmonton and Calgary stores shows the U.S. company didn’t do its homework, a University of Alberta retail analyst says.

“They came in and I think they quickly realized that people who sell at farmers’ markets can’t necessarily sell at commercial locations,” Emily Deveaux,executive director of the U of A’s school of retailing, said Monday.

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She said it can take two years to ensure food and containers sold at big outlets meet shelf life and quality standards.

It would be expensive to import products from the United States, especially with the low Canadian dollar, she said.

She never believed the province had enough local suppliers to support Whole Foods.

“Edmonton is a small city, and our organic stores have been suffering for years,” she said. “I feel this is a target case for ‘Hey, maybe you should do your research.’ ”

Whole Foods, a natural and organic grocery chain based in Austin, Texas, confirmed in an email Monday it isn’t going ahead with the two Alberta locations, although the email didn’t say why.