|
DALLAS (AP) - The chief executive of Whole Foods Market Inc. told his board that if it bought its leading rival, the company would "eliminate forever" the possibility that anyone else could create a nationwide competitor in the natural and organic grocery business, government lawyers say.
Chairman and CEO John Mackey also said that buying Wild Oats Markets Inc. would let Whole Foods "avoid nasty price wars" in several cities where the two compete, the lawyers wrote in a court document unsealed on Tuesday.
Federal Trade Commission lawyers reported the comments in a request this month for a temporary injunction to block Whole Foods from buying Wild Oats. A federal judge approved the request.
|