Whole Foods CEO Gushes About ‘Love at First Sight’ Amazon Deal

  • ‘This is not a Tinder relationship,’ he says at town hall
  • Amazon agreed to pay $13.7 billion for Whole Foods last week

Why the Amazon-Whole Foods Deal Is a Game Changer

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Whole Foods Market Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Mackey, who agreed to sell the company to Amazon.com Inc. last week, said he was first set up with the e-commerce giant on a “blind date” about six weeks ago and fell in love after conversing for hours.

The deal was set in motion when Mackey and fellow executives Jason Buechel, Ken Meyer and David Lannon flew up to Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, according to a transcript of a town-hall meetingBloomberg Terminal held Friday with employees. Mackey was assured that Whole Foods’ quality standards wouldn’t be compromised, he said.