• June 6, 2007

Whole Foods Market, which announced its plans to acquire Wild Oats Marketplace for $565 million back in February, may have to go shopping for another acquisition target. Wild Oats says the Federal Trade Commission has told the company that it intends to sue to block the merger.

"We continue to believe very strongly that this merger is in the best interest of all our constituents," Wild Oats says in a release. "While we disagree with the FTC's position and believe it is without legal and factual merit, we are confident that, once presented with the facts, the court will agree that this merger is pro-competitive and the FTC's application for an injunction will be denied." An FTC spokesperson says the agency does not comment on non-public investigations.

--Sarah Mahoney