PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Amazon to Buy Whole Foods for $13.7 Billion

Whole Foods will continue to operate stores under its existing brand, but it comes as Amazon is expanding its Amazon Fresh service with easier pickup and ordering.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Imagine being able to get all your Whole Foods necessities—your favorite brand of chia seeds, nutritional yeast, or dulse—via Amazon Prime. That dream may soon become a reality because Amazon plans to acquire the organic grocery store.

The two companies have entered into a merger agreement under which Amazon will purchase Whole Foods for approximately $13.7 billion in cash.

Whole Foods will continue to operate stores under its existing brand and "source from trusted vendors and partners around the world," Amazon says. John Mackey will remain CEO of Whole Foods and the company's headquarters will stay in Austin, Texas.

"Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy," Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. "Whole Foods Market has been satisfying, delighting, and nourishing customers for nearly four decades—they're doing an amazing job and we want that to continue."

The acquisition isn't all that strange, considering Amazon is already in the grocery game. The company in December opened a grocery store in Seattle called Amazon Go, where you can grab the items you need and simply walk out of the store when you're done. You scan your phone on the way in, and anything you pick up off store shelves is automatically added to a virtual cart.

Amazon also last month launched its Fresh pickup service, which is aimed at Prime members who would prefer to skip the hassle of roaming the grocery store aisles altogether. The service, which is only available at this point in two Seattle locations, lets you order your groceries online and have them loaded into your car when you pull into the pickup area at a scheduled time.

Plus, Amazon just this week launched the Dash Wand With Alexa, which lets you order groceries via Amazon Fresh with your voice or by scanning a barcode.

This isn't today's only big acquisition. Walmart—a main Amazon competitor—on Friday announced plans to acquire online apparel company Bonobos for $310 million in cash to bolster its e-commerce business.

The last major surprising purchase for Bezos, meanwhile, came in 2013, when he purchased the Washington Post Company, including its flagship national newspaper, for $250 million.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read full bio