Austin's most beloved grocery store is entering a new era.
Whole Foods Market, which was founded in the Texas Capital in 1978, is being acquired by Amazon for a cool $13.7 billion as the online retailer hopes to make its mark in the supermarket sphere. “Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, in a statement. “Whole Foods Market has been satisfying, delighting and nourishing customers for nearly four decades—they’re doing an amazing job and we want that to continue.”
Whole Foods may be doing an amazing job but, put simply, they need the boost. The company has had to lower its prices as organic produce makes its way into competing supermarkets like Costco and Safeway. A new look—perhaps with a tech focus—could do wonders to refresh the brand, which is where Amazon comes in. The company has experimented with brick-and-mortar retail concepts, like Amazon Go in Seattle, a small grocery store that scans items as you add them to your cart and immediately charges you when you leave the store—no actual checkout process required.
There haven't been any immediate changes announced, jobs at Whole Foods are currently remaining intact and the company will continue to use Austin as its base. All 465 Whole Food stores worldwide will remain open, for now—though if you've been to Austin's flagship store at 525 N Lamar Blvd, you know it's the best one. A wine bar inside? Don't take that away, Amazon.
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