Whole Foods Market is owned by Amazon (the United States, NASDAQ: AMZN), which acquired the brand on 28 August 2017 from Whole Foods Market, Inc.[1][2] Before Amazon, Whole Foods Market was owned by Whole Foods Market, Inc. from 1980 to 2017.[2]
Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin in 1980 and made organic and natural food a mainstream supermarket category in the United States, acquiring a reputation for high prices along the way. Amazon acquired it in 2017 for $13.7 billion.
Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market for $42 per share in cash, its largest acquisition and its entry into physical grocery retail. Share prices of established supermarket chains fell sharply on the announcement, and Amazon cut Whole Foods prices within days of closing.