Does Amazon Own Whole Foods? (All You Need To Know)

Amazon carries a large number of companies under its brand umbrella, such as Goodreads, Ring, Audible, Abebooks, and a variety of other businesses specializing in multiple niches.

However, some customers may wonder if Amazon owns Whole Foods, as the two businesses seem to share a connection. If you’d like to find out, keep reading this article to learn more about the information I gathered! 

Does Amazon Own Whole Foods?

Amazon has owned Whole Foods since 2017 after buying out the company for $13.7 Billion. Amazon purchased Whole Foods in order to increase Amazon Prime memberships, which include perks for Amazon’s grocery delivery service. As well, Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods enabled them to bring about their Amazon Fresh stores with more practical knowledge.

If you’d like to learn more about why Amazon purchased Whole Foods, how Amazon has Changed Whole Foods, and more, keep reading this article for more facts, tips, and useful information!

When Did Amazon Buy Whole Foods?

Amazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017, a few months after Whole Foods announced that it would be closing down a number of its stores due to the struggles the store faced with increasing competition.

The merger occurred in April of 2017 and went through for $13.7 Billion, which caused Whole Foods stock to rise exponentially, benefiting both Amazon and Whole Foods by once again driving up the store’s popularity and financial growth.

Whole Foods launched in 1978 as a standalone market, but has grown and produced a large number of store locations and boasts many store advantages since Amazon purchased the company, such as better discounts and grocery delivery.

Why Did Amazon Buy Whole Foods?

Amazon purchased Whole Foods for a couple of different reasons, the main one being that Amazon was looking for ways to expand its Prime membership as well as the benefits that come with it.

Therefore, by acquiring Whole Foods, Amazon was able to implement its Prime membership into the grocery delivery service that Whole Foods offers.

Customers can now place grocery orders, and those with Prime receive benefits such as free delivery and prioritized orders.

Another reason that Amazon may have purchased Whole Foods was to be familiar with how a grocery store is financed, organized, and run overall, enabling Amazon to launch their Amazon Fresh grocery stores by already having one foot in the door with Whole Foods.

How Did Amazon Change Whole Foods?

When Amazon purchased Whole Foods, they introduced a few different changes to the company. One of the main things that Amazon changed was introducing Prime membership.

Whole Foods now features Prime stickers on produce, meat, and other items when they’re placed on sale. As well customers can download the Prime Whole Foods app, which lists all the items currently available for a Prime discount.

As well, up until 2018, Whole Foods had a partnership with Instacart to provide home grocery delivery.

However, since Amazon acquired Whole Foods, they have integrated their Amazon Now grocery delivery into Whole Foods, which also runs between Amazon Fresh.

Is Amazon Replacing Whole Foods With Amazon Fresh?

Is Amazon Replacing Whole Foods With Amazon Fresh?

Amazon is growing the Amazon Fresh stores at a relatively rapid speed, and therefore some customers speculate that Amazon may eventually rebrand Whole Foods and place it under the same umbrella as Amazon Fresh.

There are some similarities between the two stores, as while Whole Foods caters to higher-income customers, they do carry some of the same brands that Amazon Fresh does, such as Happy Belly and Solimo, which are both owned by Amazon.

Both stores offer the Amazon Now grocery delivery service, which offers special benefits for Amazon Prime members.

However, despite the similarities between the two stores, there is currently no word from Amazon on whether or not they plan to close Whole Foods and rebrand the stores under the Amazon Fresh logo.

Are Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh the Same?

Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, while sharing many similarities in their service and connection to Amazon Prime, are not the same grocery store and are regarded as separate entities by Amazon.

For example, Amazon Fresh is stocked with products that are priced for lower and middle-income families and individuals, whereas Whole Foods is catered towards higher-income households.

However, while the two companies are separate stores, they do share Amazon as the same parent company, which accounts for the similarities in the way both stores are operated.

Did Amazon Ruin Whole Foods?

Many former Whole Foods shoppers believe that Amazon has ruined the shopping experience that Whole Foods used to provide.

For example, Whole Foods used to display handmade and artisan products at the entrance of their stores, such as soaps and other similar items.

However, since Amazon purchased the company, Whole Foods has reverted to stocking the Amazon Alexa, Echo, and other Amazon brand electronics.

As well, the layout of the store has changed into a warehouse-style layout, similar to Costco. Overall, many customers feel that Whole Foods now lacks the relaxed and customer-focused atmosphere it used to possess.

Is Whole Foods Still Good?

Whole Foods is a good place for customers to shop if their focus is on purchasing organic produce.

However, many customers regard Whole Foods as being far too expensive, which causes many to be divided on its overall shopping experience.

As well many customers have refused to shop at Whole Foods since it was acquired by Amazon, as there has been a noticeable change in the way the stores are run, as well as the quality of customer service provided.

Therefore, while Whole Foods is a good place to locate quality and organic foods, it is not well regarded for its accessibility to the average shopper both for its prices and atmosphere.

To find out more, you can also check our posts on whether or not Amazon owns Google, if Amazon owns Wayfair, and if Amazon owns Spotify.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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