Whole Foods to Sell 32 Stores in FTC Settlement

Mar 6, 2009 10:26 AM


     ShareThis     

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market here this morning said it has agreed to sell 32 stores — most of which are closed — to settle its antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission.

The locations include 19 shuttered Wild Oats sites, 10 of which had been closed by Wild Oats before the two chains merged in 2007, and nine of which were closed by Whole Foods following the merger. The closed sites include six in Arizona, three in Nevada, two in Colorado, two in Oregon, and one each in Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska and Utah.

The 13 operating stores encompass 12 Wild Oats locations and one Whole Foods store, including five in Colorado, two in Arizona and one each in Connecticut, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Utah.

Whole Foods also agreed to sell Wild Oats trademarks and other intellectual property associated with Wild Oats stores. The company has six months to market the properties.

The original acquisition, which was finalized in August of 2007, included 109 Wild Oats locations. Thirty-five of those — under the Henry’s and Sun Harvest banners — were sold immediately to Los Angles-based Smart & Final. Whole Foods then closed several of the location and had converted several others to the Whole Foods banner.

As of Jan. 18, 2009, Whole Foods operated 279 stores, including 268 in the U.S.; six stores in Canada; and five stores in the United Kingdom.

Read More of Today's Headlines



Acceptable Use Policy
blog comments powered by Disqus

Subscribe / Renew to Supermarket News

Supermarket News

The most reliable source of industry news and insight...in print and online.


WH Refresh Blog

Bob Vosburgh Bob Vosburgh:

Most Viewed News

Read More News

SN Editorial Videos

The Lempert Report

Marketing analysis, issues and trends from supermarket industry analyst Phil Lempert.

New Products Hits and Misses

Product reviews from supermarket industry analyst Phil Lempert.

The Role of Technology at Save Mart Supermarkets

Aashish Chandra, senior director of IT Save Mart, talks about his company's approach to technology.

SN Sponsored Videos

Pan-Oston Mobile Innovation Centers Tour

The Supermarket Guru shows the front-end technology you can experience during the tour.

View All

Articles by Market
Retail/Financial
Executive Changes
Grocery/Center Store/
Brands
Health & Wellness
In-Store Bakery/Deli/Meals
Logistics
Marketing
Meat/Seafood/Dairy
Nonfoods/Pharmacy/HBC
Produce/Floral
Specialty/Ethnic
Technology

Quick Poll

Key Issues & Topics
Food Safety/Recalls
Legislation/Regulations
Sustainability/Green
More Topics
Resources
Profiles & Rankings
SN Awards
SN Data
White Papers/Studies
Webinars
Trade Show Calendar
Subscribe to SN
Total Access Blog
WHRefresh Blog

Upcoming Events

View More Upcoming Events

Subscribe to SN

Subscribe to SN Newsletter

In-Depth News Stories

Latest SN Cover

Subscriptions

Get access to print and / or in-depth online conent.

Register Here

newsletter image

SN Free Daily Update

The food trade's leading daily news service.

Register Here

Retailers Temper Outlooks

The recession may be over but so too is the post-recession rebound.

More Real Estate Opportunities Open Up

For supermarkets looking for additional locations, it's a renter's market out there.

Stop & Shop, A&P in Ad Fracas

Price wars between supermarkets are tumbling off the shelves and into courtrooms.

Subscribe to SN's Content Today!

Subscribe to SN's Content Today!

Corporate Finance

Read in-depth coverage of quarterly reports.

Marketing Trends

New promotions, new pricing, new products.

Subscribe to SN's Content