FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. - Settlement Deal Reached
In this story [Daily Memo: It's A Done Deal: Whole Foods Market and the FTC Reach A Settlement Agreement On Wild Oats' Acquisition Antitrust Challenge] published earlier today we reported on and offered some analysis about the settlement agreement reached today by Whole Foods Market, Inc. and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the FTC's nearly two-year antitrust challenge to Whole Foods' friendly 2007 acquisition of Wild Oats Markets, Inc.
Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) has been reporting on, writing about and offering analysis on FTC. v. Whole Foods Market, Inc., as well as suggesting to both parties on how to resolve the case and issue, since August, 2007.
In our analysis pieces, we first suggested over a year ago, and right up until recently, that one way for the FTC and Whole Foods to resolve the antitrust case would be for the two parties to agree on Whole Foods Market, Inc.'s divestiture of a set number of former Wild Oats stores acquired in the deal, thereby satisfying the FTC's claim that a combined Whole Foods-Wild Oats is a monopoly in what the regulatory agency called the "premium natural and organic retailing segment (PNOS)."
That's just what the FTC and Whole Foods Market, Inc. agreed to in its settlement deal announced today -- that Whole Foods will put up for sale 13 stores (12 former Wild Oats units and one existing Whole Foods store), along with 19 other former Wild Oats stores already closed, some closed by Wild Oats before the 2007 merger, others closed by Whole Foods Market post the 2007 acquisition. [See our story linked above for the details.]
Since the 19 stores are already closed, and since Whole Foods Market, Inc. would love to sell them anyway, what the settlement amounts to is the mere closing of 13 existing, operating stores by Whole Foods. Most of those stores are in the Western U.S.
Additionally, if the stores don't sell in a year, Whole Foods Market gets to keep them, per the settlement agreement with the FTC.
In our analysis, that's a good deal for Whole Foods Market.
Of course, since it's been our analysis since August, 2007 that the entire FTC antitrust challenge to the friendly acquisition by Whole Foods of Wild Oats was pure folly, based on a false premise, which the FTC then attempted to make real in court, the settlement also is a good deal for the FTC because it allows it to save face and provides it with at least a verbal, if not real, argument and justification for its nearly two-year expenditure of taxpayer money and agency resources and legal talent in battling the acquisition of Wild Oats by Whole Foods Market, Inc.
We should add that we've had no dog in the fight. We own no Whole Foods Market, Inc. stock. Do zero business with Whole Foods in terms of any sort of vendor relationship, and only shop at the stores from a consumer perspective as part of a multi-format, multi-store food and grocery shopping strategy.
We also happen to be antitrust hawks when we see real concentrations of monopolistic power in any business sector, including food and grocery retailing. For example, if Kroger Co. acquired Safeway Stores, Inc. or Supervalu, Inc. we would have an antitrust problem. The same if Wal-Mart were to acquire Costco... or even Target. Although in the current retailing climate we would look on such deals much more openly that we would have just a year ago.
But we do know a food retailing (natural-organic, premium or otherwise) monopoly when we see it. And the combined Whole Foods-Wild Oats wasn't one, as we've argued since August, 2007.
Below is a bibliography of all of the recent, relevant stories we've written and posts we've made regarding FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Additionally, at the bottom of the recent bibliogrpahy, we include links from the Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) archives, going back to 2007, to stories and posts about the legal battle between Whole Foods and the FTC over the 2007 acquisition of Wild Oats.
Recent Bibliography: FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Beginning on February 25, 2009, to today, March 6, the end of the FTC's halt of legal proceedings in its antitrust case against Whole Foods, and the day a settlement agreement was announced, we provided a daily countdown, updating what was happening (or not happening) each day in the negotiations, along with providing related news, information and analysis.
Daily Memo: Countdown to March 6, 2009:
>Read our Thursday, March 6, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: It's A Done Deal: Whole Foods Market and the FTC Reach A Settlement Agreement On Wild Oats' Acquisition Antitrust Challenge]
>Read our Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC - Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Monday, March 2, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Friday, February 27 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Thursday, February 26 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - 9 Days to March 6]
>Read our Wednesday, February 25 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - 10 Days to March 6]
February, 2009:
February 24, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz Odds On Favorite to Be Named Chairman; Positive Development For Whole Foods' Settlement Talks.... February 22, 2009: Retail Memo: The 'Whole Analysis' - Whole Foods Market Inc's First Quarter Financials, FTC v. Whole Foods...The Natural Grocer At Home and Abroad....February 11, 2009: Retail Memo: 'God And Man at Yale' - The FTC-Whole Foods Settlement Talks: Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Speaks Out at Yale University....
February 5, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: FTC Delays Whole Foods Merger Opposition Case Another 30-Days For Settlement Talks; Progress Towards A Deal Remains Positive....February 3, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking Developments: FTC, Whole Foods Market, Inc. Progressing in Settlement Talks; Could the Negotiated End-Game Be Near?....February 1, 2009: Promotional Merchandising Memo: Whole Foods Market's Super Bowl In-Store Promotional Merchandising Message: 'Value'....
January, 2009:
January 31, 2009: Store Brands - Private Label Memo: Smart & Final-Owned Henry's Farmers Market Preparing to Debut New Natural & Organic 'Sun Harvest' Store Brand....January 29, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: Whole Foods Makes Settlement Offer to FTC; FTC Halts Action For 5 Days; Natural~Specialty Foods Memo Calls For A Settlement....January 25, 2009: Retail Memo: Judge Sets February Hearing Dates On FTC Motion That Could Result in Whole Foods Market Having to Rebrand 100 Former Wild Oats Units....
January 24, 2009: Retail Memo: Despite its Battle With the FTC and Other Struggles, Whole Foods Market Still Ranked 22nd 'Best Place' to Work in America By Fortune....January 24, 2009: Retail Memo - News & Analysis: Gelson's Chain Challenges Whole Foods' Subpoena For Trade Secrets; FTC Says No Like it said to New Seasons Market....
January 23, 2008: Retail Memo: Three Judge Federal Appeals Court Panel Rules Against Whole Foods' FTC Lawsuit Today; What's Next?.... January 21, 2008: Retail Memo: An Argument in Favor of the FTC in FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. -- Or At Least Against Whole Foods' Legal Tactics....
January 19, 2009: Retail Memo: Concerned With Fast-Looming FTC Hearing Date Whole Foods Re-Files Lawsuit Taking it Directly to Washington, D.C. Federal Appeals Court....January 19, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking News: Portland's New Seasons Market and Whole Foods Market, Inc. Reach Agreement; New Seasons Will Provide Trade Secrets....
January 16, 2009: Read Memo: Colorado Newspaper Columnist Joins NSFM's 'Whole Foods Market Isn't A Monopoly' Bandwagon....Friday, January 16, 2009: Retail Memo - Exclusive: Supermarket Industry Investor Ron Burkle Looking For A Seat On Whole Foods Market's Board of Directors....Thursday, January 15, 2009: Retail Memo: Natural-Organic Foods and U.S. Retail Marketplace Realities; Why the FTC's Case Against the Whole Foods-Wild Oats Merger is Pure Folly....
January 15, 2009: Retail Memo: Fresh & Wholesome Market Fears Not A Whole Foods Market Monopoly; In Fact Part of its Competitive Strategy is to Be the Anti-Whole FoodsRetail Memo: Whole Foods Offers Carrot and Stick to Retailers That Have Yet to Comply to Subpoena For Trade Secret Data and Information....
December, 2008:
December 29, 2008: Retail Memo - Breaking News: New Seasons Market Doesn't Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market Despite Deadline to Do So Being Today....December 29, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: Natural-Organic, Local, Fresh and Premium Keys to Pacific Northwest USA's Haggen Foods; Now Adding Value....December 28, 2008: Retail Memo: Web Site and Blog-Driven Viral Boycott of Whole Foods Market Stores in Portland, Oregon Region Going On; Could it Intensify?....December 28, 2008: Retail Memo: Tomorrow Deadline For Portland, Oregon's New Seasons Market to Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market's Legal Counsel....
December 24, 2008: Christmas Eve Memo 2008: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' - FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Version....December 24, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: From Mrs. Gooch's to the Auto Body Business, Then Back to Retail, Chris Kysar is On A Healthy Organic Foods Retailing Roll....December 24, 2008: Retail Memo: It's 'Deja Vu All Over Again' - Judge Paul Friedman to Whole Foods Market, FTC: 'What's My Role Here?'....
December 23, 2008: Retail Memo: FTC Postpones Scheduled February 16 Administrative Hearing on Whole Foods-Wild Oats Deal Break-Up Until April 6, 2009....December 23, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: National Grocers' Association Asks President-Elect Obama to Look Out For Independent Grocers When He takes Office in January....December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: Only Slightly More Than Half the 93 Natural Foods Retailers Issued Subpoenas By Whole Foods in its Case against the FTC Have Complied....
December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market Wants to Depose and Obtain Internal E-Mails From FTC Commissioner, Suggesting Possible Conflict of Interest Situation....December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: At Hearing Today Judge Tells FTC to Provide Road Map of How Whole Foods Could Take About Merged Companies Should Ruling Go In its Favor....December 19, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods' Lobbying Effort Baring More Fruit - House Committee Leaders Send Letter to FTC Chair Similar to One Sent By Senate Leaders....
December 18, 2008: Retail Memo: 'This Isn't Over Yet' - New Seasons Market CEO On Judge's Decision the Natural Gorcer Must Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market.... December 18, 2008: Retail Memo: The 'Whole Primary Source Scoop' -- FTC and U.S. Federal Court Documents on the FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Case....December 17, 2008: Breaking News: Judge Orders New Seasons Market to Comply With Whole Foods' Subpoena and Submit Sales Data, Financial Records and Other Trade Secrets....
December 16, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Boulder, CO...And the Rocky Mountain News' Editorial Take On FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc....December, 15, 2008: Retail Memo: Eight Members of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Send Letter to FTC Chairman Regarding FTC's Legal Case Against Wild Oats' Acquisition....December, 13, 2008: Retail Memo - Analysis & Commentary: More On FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. and Whole Foods Market, Inc. v. FTC....
December 9, 2008: Organics Category Memo: Wither Organics? Organic Food & Grocery Category Sales Down; But Double-Digit Growth Still Likley With Mass Market Lift....December 9, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Markets' 'Whole Legal Paycheck:' Three Top Washington, D.C. Law Firms Teaming Up On The Natural Grocery Chain's FTC Lawsuit....December 9, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey and Team Launch First Aggressive Attack Against the FTC's Legal Case at Press Conference This Morning....
December 8, 2008: Retail Memo: Mr. Mackey (and the Whole Foods Market Troops) Goes to Washington....December 8, 2008: Retail Memo: Breaking News - Whole Foods Market, Inc. Files Lawsuit Against the FTC; Argues the Regulator Violated the Company's Due Process Rights....December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter and Whole Foods Market Co-President Walter Robb Discuss and Debate the Subpoena Issue Online....
December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter Speaks Out Again Today on the Whole Foods Market, Inc. Subpoena of His Company's Data....December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market Retains Top Washington D.C. lawyers and Politically-Connected Lobbyists to Plead its Case Against the FTC....December 6, 2008: Retail Memo: Fast-Growing and Scrappy Sunflower Farmers Market Ventures Deep in the Heart of (Whole Foods Country) Texas....
December 3, 2008: Retail Memo: More on the Whole Foods Market-New Seasons Market Subpoena Issue; FTC Holding Firm For February, 2009 Hearing....December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market, Inc. Closes $425 Sale of Stock to Private Equity Firm; Adds Members of the Firm to its Board of Directors....December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Portland, Oregon-Based New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter Responds to Whole Foods Market's Paige Brady....
December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods' Paige Brady Responds to Yesterday's New Seasons Market Piece; Lots of E-Mails; Issue Heats Up On the New Seasons Market Blog....December 1, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Wants A Court-Mandated Financial Records Dump from Portland-based New Seasons Market; it Says For its Battle Against the FTC.
Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) Archive Bibliography
FTC v. Whole Foods - Linkage from the NSFM archives:
Click here, here and here for stories about the FTC-Whole Foods issue from our archives, including pieces about mass market and natural foods class of trade retail competitors. You can search the archives using the "search" function at the top of the Blog as well.
[Reader Note: Follow Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) around on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nsfoodsmemo.]
In this story [Daily Memo: It's A Done Deal: Whole Foods Market and the FTC Reach A Settlement Agreement On Wild Oats' Acquisition Antitrust Challenge] published earlier today we reported on and offered some analysis about the settlement agreement reached today by Whole Foods Market, Inc. and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the FTC's nearly two-year antitrust challenge to Whole Foods' friendly 2007 acquisition of Wild Oats Markets, Inc.
Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) has been reporting on, writing about and offering analysis on FTC. v. Whole Foods Market, Inc., as well as suggesting to both parties on how to resolve the case and issue, since August, 2007.
In our analysis pieces, we first suggested over a year ago, and right up until recently, that one way for the FTC and Whole Foods to resolve the antitrust case would be for the two parties to agree on Whole Foods Market, Inc.'s divestiture of a set number of former Wild Oats stores acquired in the deal, thereby satisfying the FTC's claim that a combined Whole Foods-Wild Oats is a monopoly in what the regulatory agency called the "premium natural and organic retailing segment (PNOS)."
That's just what the FTC and Whole Foods Market, Inc. agreed to in its settlement deal announced today -- that Whole Foods will put up for sale 13 stores (12 former Wild Oats units and one existing Whole Foods store), along with 19 other former Wild Oats stores already closed, some closed by Wild Oats before the 2007 merger, others closed by Whole Foods Market post the 2007 acquisition. [See our story linked above for the details.]
Since the 19 stores are already closed, and since Whole Foods Market, Inc. would love to sell them anyway, what the settlement amounts to is the mere closing of 13 existing, operating stores by Whole Foods. Most of those stores are in the Western U.S.
Additionally, if the stores don't sell in a year, Whole Foods Market gets to keep them, per the settlement agreement with the FTC.
In our analysis, that's a good deal for Whole Foods Market.
Of course, since it's been our analysis since August, 2007 that the entire FTC antitrust challenge to the friendly acquisition by Whole Foods of Wild Oats was pure folly, based on a false premise, which the FTC then attempted to make real in court, the settlement also is a good deal for the FTC because it allows it to save face and provides it with at least a verbal, if not real, argument and justification for its nearly two-year expenditure of taxpayer money and agency resources and legal talent in battling the acquisition of Wild Oats by Whole Foods Market, Inc.
We should add that we've had no dog in the fight. We own no Whole Foods Market, Inc. stock. Do zero business with Whole Foods in terms of any sort of vendor relationship, and only shop at the stores from a consumer perspective as part of a multi-format, multi-store food and grocery shopping strategy.
We also happen to be antitrust hawks when we see real concentrations of monopolistic power in any business sector, including food and grocery retailing. For example, if Kroger Co. acquired Safeway Stores, Inc. or Supervalu, Inc. we would have an antitrust problem. The same if Wal-Mart were to acquire Costco... or even Target. Although in the current retailing climate we would look on such deals much more openly that we would have just a year ago.
But we do know a food retailing (natural-organic, premium or otherwise) monopoly when we see it. And the combined Whole Foods-Wild Oats wasn't one, as we've argued since August, 2007.
Below is a bibliography of all of the recent, relevant stories we've written and posts we've made regarding FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Additionally, at the bottom of the recent bibliogrpahy, we include links from the Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) archives, going back to 2007, to stories and posts about the legal battle between Whole Foods and the FTC over the 2007 acquisition of Wild Oats.
Recent Bibliography: FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Beginning on February 25, 2009, to today, March 6, the end of the FTC's halt of legal proceedings in its antitrust case against Whole Foods, and the day a settlement agreement was announced, we provided a daily countdown, updating what was happening (or not happening) each day in the negotiations, along with providing related news, information and analysis.
Daily Memo: Countdown to March 6, 2009:
>Read our Thursday, March 6, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: It's A Done Deal: Whole Foods Market and the FTC Reach A Settlement Agreement On Wild Oats' Acquisition Antitrust Challenge]
>Read our Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC - Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Monday, March 2, 2009 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo - Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Friday, February 27 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - Countdown to March 6]
>Read our Thursday, February 26 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - 9 Days to March 6]
>Read our Wednesday, February 25 Daily Memo at the link: [Daily Memo: Whole Foods Market - FTC Settlement Deal Watch - 10 Days to March 6]
February, 2009:
February 24, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz Odds On Favorite to Be Named Chairman; Positive Development For Whole Foods' Settlement Talks.... February 22, 2009: Retail Memo: The 'Whole Analysis' - Whole Foods Market Inc's First Quarter Financials, FTC v. Whole Foods...The Natural Grocer At Home and Abroad....February 11, 2009: Retail Memo: 'God And Man at Yale' - The FTC-Whole Foods Settlement Talks: Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Speaks Out at Yale University....
February 5, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: FTC Delays Whole Foods Merger Opposition Case Another 30-Days For Settlement Talks; Progress Towards A Deal Remains Positive....February 3, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking Developments: FTC, Whole Foods Market, Inc. Progressing in Settlement Talks; Could the Negotiated End-Game Be Near?....February 1, 2009: Promotional Merchandising Memo: Whole Foods Market's Super Bowl In-Store Promotional Merchandising Message: 'Value'....
January, 2009:
January 31, 2009: Store Brands - Private Label Memo: Smart & Final-Owned Henry's Farmers Market Preparing to Debut New Natural & Organic 'Sun Harvest' Store Brand....January 29, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking: Whole Foods Makes Settlement Offer to FTC; FTC Halts Action For 5 Days; Natural~Specialty Foods Memo Calls For A Settlement....January 25, 2009: Retail Memo: Judge Sets February Hearing Dates On FTC Motion That Could Result in Whole Foods Market Having to Rebrand 100 Former Wild Oats Units....
January 24, 2009: Retail Memo: Despite its Battle With the FTC and Other Struggles, Whole Foods Market Still Ranked 22nd 'Best Place' to Work in America By Fortune....January 24, 2009: Retail Memo - News & Analysis: Gelson's Chain Challenges Whole Foods' Subpoena For Trade Secrets; FTC Says No Like it said to New Seasons Market....
January 23, 2008: Retail Memo: Three Judge Federal Appeals Court Panel Rules Against Whole Foods' FTC Lawsuit Today; What's Next?.... January 21, 2008: Retail Memo: An Argument in Favor of the FTC in FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. -- Or At Least Against Whole Foods' Legal Tactics....
January 19, 2009: Retail Memo: Concerned With Fast-Looming FTC Hearing Date Whole Foods Re-Files Lawsuit Taking it Directly to Washington, D.C. Federal Appeals Court....January 19, 2009: Retail Memo - Breaking News: Portland's New Seasons Market and Whole Foods Market, Inc. Reach Agreement; New Seasons Will Provide Trade Secrets....
January 16, 2009: Read Memo: Colorado Newspaper Columnist Joins NSFM's 'Whole Foods Market Isn't A Monopoly' Bandwagon....Friday, January 16, 2009: Retail Memo - Exclusive: Supermarket Industry Investor Ron Burkle Looking For A Seat On Whole Foods Market's Board of Directors....Thursday, January 15, 2009: Retail Memo: Natural-Organic Foods and U.S. Retail Marketplace Realities; Why the FTC's Case Against the Whole Foods-Wild Oats Merger is Pure Folly....
January 15, 2009: Retail Memo: Fresh & Wholesome Market Fears Not A Whole Foods Market Monopoly; In Fact Part of its Competitive Strategy is to Be the Anti-Whole FoodsRetail Memo: Whole Foods Offers Carrot and Stick to Retailers That Have Yet to Comply to Subpoena For Trade Secret Data and Information....
December, 2008:
December 29, 2008: Retail Memo - Breaking News: New Seasons Market Doesn't Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market Despite Deadline to Do So Being Today....December 29, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: Natural-Organic, Local, Fresh and Premium Keys to Pacific Northwest USA's Haggen Foods; Now Adding Value....December 28, 2008: Retail Memo: Web Site and Blog-Driven Viral Boycott of Whole Foods Market Stores in Portland, Oregon Region Going On; Could it Intensify?....December 28, 2008: Retail Memo: Tomorrow Deadline For Portland, Oregon's New Seasons Market to Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market's Legal Counsel....
December 24, 2008: Christmas Eve Memo 2008: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' - FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Version....December 24, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: From Mrs. Gooch's to the Auto Body Business, Then Back to Retail, Chris Kysar is On A Healthy Organic Foods Retailing Roll....December 24, 2008: Retail Memo: It's 'Deja Vu All Over Again' - Judge Paul Friedman to Whole Foods Market, FTC: 'What's My Role Here?'....
December 23, 2008: Retail Memo: FTC Postpones Scheduled February 16 Administrative Hearing on Whole Foods-Wild Oats Deal Break-Up Until April 6, 2009....December 23, 2008: Independent Grocer Memo: National Grocers' Association Asks President-Elect Obama to Look Out For Independent Grocers When He takes Office in January....December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: Only Slightly More Than Half the 93 Natural Foods Retailers Issued Subpoenas By Whole Foods in its Case against the FTC Have Complied....
December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market Wants to Depose and Obtain Internal E-Mails From FTC Commissioner, Suggesting Possible Conflict of Interest Situation....December 22, 2008: Retail Memo: At Hearing Today Judge Tells FTC to Provide Road Map of How Whole Foods Could Take About Merged Companies Should Ruling Go In its Favor....December 19, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods' Lobbying Effort Baring More Fruit - House Committee Leaders Send Letter to FTC Chair Similar to One Sent By Senate Leaders....
December 18, 2008: Retail Memo: 'This Isn't Over Yet' - New Seasons Market CEO On Judge's Decision the Natural Gorcer Must Turn Over Trade Secrets to Whole Foods Market.... December 18, 2008: Retail Memo: The 'Whole Primary Source Scoop' -- FTC and U.S. Federal Court Documents on the FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. Case....December 17, 2008: Breaking News: Judge Orders New Seasons Market to Comply With Whole Foods' Subpoena and Submit Sales Data, Financial Records and Other Trade Secrets....
December 16, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Boulder, CO...And the Rocky Mountain News' Editorial Take On FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc....December, 15, 2008: Retail Memo: Eight Members of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Send Letter to FTC Chairman Regarding FTC's Legal Case Against Wild Oats' Acquisition....December, 13, 2008: Retail Memo - Analysis & Commentary: More On FTC v. Whole Foods Market, Inc. and Whole Foods Market, Inc. v. FTC....
December 9, 2008: Organics Category Memo: Wither Organics? Organic Food & Grocery Category Sales Down; But Double-Digit Growth Still Likley With Mass Market Lift....December 9, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Markets' 'Whole Legal Paycheck:' Three Top Washington, D.C. Law Firms Teaming Up On The Natural Grocery Chain's FTC Lawsuit....December 9, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey and Team Launch First Aggressive Attack Against the FTC's Legal Case at Press Conference This Morning....
December 8, 2008: Retail Memo: Mr. Mackey (and the Whole Foods Market Troops) Goes to Washington....December 8, 2008: Retail Memo: Breaking News - Whole Foods Market, Inc. Files Lawsuit Against the FTC; Argues the Regulator Violated the Company's Due Process Rights....December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter and Whole Foods Market Co-President Walter Robb Discuss and Debate the Subpoena Issue Online....
December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter Speaks Out Again Today on the Whole Foods Market, Inc. Subpoena of His Company's Data....December 7, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market Retains Top Washington D.C. lawyers and Politically-Connected Lobbyists to Plead its Case Against the FTC....December 6, 2008: Retail Memo: Fast-Growing and Scrappy Sunflower Farmers Market Ventures Deep in the Heart of (Whole Foods Country) Texas....
December 3, 2008: Retail Memo: More on the Whole Foods Market-New Seasons Market Subpoena Issue; FTC Holding Firm For February, 2009 Hearing....December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Market, Inc. Closes $425 Sale of Stock to Private Equity Firm; Adds Members of the Firm to its Board of Directors....December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Portland, Oregon-Based New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter Responds to Whole Foods Market's Paige Brady....
December 2, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods' Paige Brady Responds to Yesterday's New Seasons Market Piece; Lots of E-Mails; Issue Heats Up On the New Seasons Market Blog....December 1, 2008: Retail Memo: Whole Foods Wants A Court-Mandated Financial Records Dump from Portland-based New Seasons Market; it Says For its Battle Against the FTC.
Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) Archive Bibliography
FTC v. Whole Foods - Linkage from the NSFM archives:
Click here, here and here for stories about the FTC-Whole Foods issue from our archives, including pieces about mass market and natural foods class of trade retail competitors. You can search the archives using the "search" function at the top of the Blog as well.
[Reader Note: Follow Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) around on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nsfoodsmemo.]
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