Buyout of Wild Oats hits a snag

[NashVegas]

Source: Ap / Tennessean

Regulators fear Whole Foods will dominate market

The Federal Trade Commission will file a lawsuit in a bid to block natural foods grocer Whole Foods Market Inc. from acquiring competing Wild Oats Markets, the companies said, a move that could thwart a half-billion-dollar deal or force changes in it.

The lawsuit, expected to be filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, will argue that the marketplace is defined by natural and organic food stores and not the broader supermarket industry, said John Mackey, chairman and chief executive officer of Whole Foods.

Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/BUSINESS01/706060411/1436/BUSINESS

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Since when does the Bush administration fear anyone dominating a market?

If this had come down the pike five years ago, I'd have been right there with them, but Wild Oats is a total sell-out.

[Totally Committed]

1. If Wild Oats was being acquired by Archer-Daniels-Midland,

there's be no problem, though.

The FTC FINALLY makes a move, and it's against Whole Foods. Good Grief.

TC

[NC_Nurse]

2. So they let AT&T get Bellsouth, but THIS is a problem?

What bullshit....all of the other groceries that I go to have organic food departments. Even Walmart is supposedly getting into the game. I wouldn't know since I don't shop there, but
they let Walmart move into the grocery business and decimate a lot of other companies, after they already decimated a lot of other retail and manufacturing companies.

[BadgerKid]

3. I'd look to see

how friendly WF has been to the R's. The analogy I'm going for is to say a startup drug company won't get approval until it partners with big pharma.

[NashVegas]

4. Mackey Claims to Be Libertarian

http://www.wholefoods.com/blogs/jm/archives/2006/02/winning_the_bat.html