One of the more prominent shareholders of Whole Foods could be looking to make “sweeping changes” to its strategy, according to a report from Bloomberg, including possibly selling the banner.
“Whole Foods Market values the strong and open relationships we have with our shareholders,” Brooke Buchanan, Vice President of Communications & Government Affairs for Whole Foods, said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. “As discussed on Wednesday’s earnings call, we are focused on pursuing the right strategies to position the company to produce strong results and returns for our shareholders over the long term.”
Already the retailer is in the midst of revisiting its fundamental strategy, having announced last week that Co-CEO Walter Robb would be stepping down from his position as the company looks to a new leadership structure.
Now, the shareholder in question has met with potential activist investors to address restructuring options, including selling Whole Foods and/or replacing management, people familiar with the matter told the news source.
Though not named specifically, it was reported that the shareholder is one of Whole Foods’ top ten. Several investors, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to the news source that they were both aware of the suggestion and “are studying Whole Foods carefully.”
Whole Foods currently has a market value of about $8.9 billion. As further details develop, Deli Market News will continue to report on this story.
