NEW YORK — Whole Foods might close down fewer Wild Oats stores than it had previously thought it would, one of Whole Foods’ presidents said at an investor conference here yesterday. After looking at the financial records of individual locations following the closure of the acquisition of Wild Oats last month, “I am more encouraged by the potential of what we can do with those stores,” said Walter Robb, co-president and chief operating officer. “I think we are going to keep more than we thought.” He said Whole Foods would make its plans known for the fate of individual locations by the end of this month. Asked about the small-format Whole Foods Market Express stores that Whole Foods recently said it planned to open, Robb said the stores would likely only be slated for metro areas where Whole Foods already has a presence. “We think the No. 1 driver of consumer behavior today is convenience. We think strategically — being able to compete in more places makes sense.”
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