Whole Foods Plans To Sell Amrion

Whole Foods Plans To Sell Amrion

AUSTIN, Texas--Whole Foods Markets (NASDAQ:WFMI) in late November releasedits 4Q and FY00 numbers, ended Sept. 24. The natural products retailer, basedhere, posted sales increases of 22 percent for the quarter vs. the comparablequarter in 1999, and a 23-percent increase for the year. It also said it plansto repurchase all Amrion common stock from the venture capital investors inorder to pursue a sale of the division.

The company announced in late October that it was retaining an investmentbanking firm to explore options for its investment in Amrion, a direct marketingand supplement manufacturing company. Whole Foods board of directors agreed topurchase 100 percent of the common stock back from the investors and"aggressively pursue a sale" of the division. The consolidated resultsof Whole Foods' operations in the 4Q include $49 million in charges related tolosses from Amrion and the plan to discontinue the business.

For more information, visit www.wholefoods.com.