Who Owns Whole Foods?

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) owns Whole Foods Market. The e-commerce and cloud computing company acquired the grocery chain in August 2017 for $13.7 billion, making Whole Foods a wholly-owned subsidiary. In January 2026, Amazon announced plans to open 100 new Whole Foods locations while closing all remaining Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores.

Whole Foods Market Products and Services

How Did Whole Foods Market Get Its Name?

The original store was called SaferWay, a play on the Safeway supermarket chain. John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy opened it in 1978 in Austin, Texas, as a small vegetarian natural foods shop. They operated on a tight budget, at one point living inside the store itself.

In 1980, SaferWay merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery, owned by Craig Weller and Mark Skiles. The four partners chose “Whole Foods Market” to reflect the store’s focus on whole, unprocessed, and natural foods. The word “whole” signaled both completeness of selection and the unrefined character of the food. That name stuck as the brand grew from one Austin location to a chain spanning three countries.

Whole Foods Market Mission Statement and Core Values

Whole Foods operates under the mission: “Our purpose is to nourish people and the planet.” The company describes itself as aiming to set standards of excellence for food retailers, with quality treated as a guiding principle across all operations.

Six core values support that mission: selling the highest quality natural and organic products, satisfying customers, supporting team member growth, building win-win supplier partnerships, generating profits, and caring for the environment. These values predate Amazon’s corporate history with Whole Foods and have remained largely intact since the acquisition.

Under Amazon, Whole Foods expanded its sustainability commitments to align with Amazon’s Climate Pledge targeting net-zero carbon by 2040. The company sources from local farms and rates animal welfare across its meat supply chain.

Who Owns Whole Foods

Amazon.com, Inc. owns 100% of Whole Foods Market. No independent public shares of Whole Foods exist. Amazon purchased all outstanding shares in a cash transaction that closed on August 28, 2017, and delisted Whole Foods from NASDAQ after 25 years of public trading.

The grocery chain now reports under Amazon’s Worldwide Stores segment. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy oversees the parent organization, while Jason Buechel has served as Whole Foods CEO since September 2022, when co-founder John Mackey retired. Buechel reports to Doug Herrington, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Stores.

Whole Foods Origin, Founders, and Early Years

John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy borrowed $45,000 from family and friends to open SaferWay in Austin, Texas, in 1978. Two years later, they merged with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles’ Clarksville Natural Grocery to form the first Whole Foods Market.

That original store at North Lamar Boulevard employed 19 people and spanned 10,500 square feet. The company went public on NASDAQ in 1992 and grew through acquisitions of regional natural food chains, including Bread & Circus, Fresh Fields, and Wild Oats Markets. By the time Amazon acquired it, Whole Foods had 460 stores and annual revenue exceeding $15 billion.

Largest Shareholders of Whole Foods Market

Who Is on the Board of Directors for Whole Foods Market?

Whole Foods dissolved its independent board of directors when it became a private Amazon subsidiary. Strategic and governance decisions now route through Amazon’s executive leadership and board. The following individuals hold the most direct authority over Whole Foods operations.

Executive Leadership

Amazon Board Members with Retail and Technology Oversight

Finance and Strategy

Amazon’s direct grocery competitors include Walmart, the Kroger Company, and Target Corporation. Trader Joe’s and Sprouts Farmers Market compete with Whole Foods in the natural and organic segment. Amazon also competes with Google’s parent company Alphabet in advertising and cloud services.

FAQs

What is the net worth of Whole Foods Market?

Whole Foods does not report separate financials as a private Amazon subsidiary. Amazon paid $13.7 billion for the company in 2017. Annual sales reached $22.4 billion as of early 2026, according to Amazon’s public disclosures.

Is Whole Foods an American company?

Yes. Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, and still maintains its headquarters there. It operates as a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Who owns Whole Foods in 2026?

Amazon.com, Inc. owns 100% of Whole Foods Market. The company has been a wholly-owned Amazon subsidiary since August 28, 2017, when the $13.7 billion acquisition closed.

When did Whole Foods Market start?

Whole Foods Market opened its first store on September 20, 1980, in Austin, Texas. Co-founders John Mackey, Renee Lawson Hardy, Craig Weller, and Mark Skiles merged two smaller natural food stores to create it.

What is Whole Foods’ market cap in 2026?

Whole Foods has no independent market capitalization because it is a private subsidiary of Amazon. Amazon’s total market cap reached approximately $2.84 trillion in May 2026 on the NASDAQ exchange.