The history of Amazon and Whole Foods' sometimes-rocky marriage, which kicked off 5 years ago with a $13.7 billion acquisition

Áine CainAug 27, 2022, 18:13 IST

Amazon bought Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in 2017.Gabe Ginsberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images and Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Amazon bought Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in 2017.
Whole Foods was driven to Amazon over hostile-takeover concerns.

Amazon bought Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion on August 24, 2017.

It was a much-talked about match that shook the world of retail. The deal saw an online powerhouse acquire a beloved organic grocer. It also marked a massive foray into the realm of brick-and-mortar grocery for Amazon.

For Whole Foods, the acquisition brought about some cultural shifts within the stores. And for Amazon, the purchase of a prominent national grocer proved to be a major experiment in the brick-and-mortar space.

Since then, the relationship has endured, despite some rocky adjustments.

Whole Foods traces its roots back to Texas.

John Mackey, right, with Whole Foods employee David Matthis at the opening of a Houston store in 1984.Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market grew rapidly.

A person shops at a Whole Foods grocery store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 10, 2022.Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Meanwhile, Amazon came along in the early 1990s.

An Amazon package.Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo/Reuters

Over the decades, Amazon grew to become an e-commerce behemoth.

Amazon packages.Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

In 2017, Whole Foods ran into trouble.

Whole Foods founder John Mackey.Mark Wilson/Getty Images

But Whole Foods couldn't find a buyer.

Warren Buffett speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC.Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Then, Mackey called on Amazon.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for DJ

The partnership has hit some snags, however.

Whole Foods in Washington DC at Glover Park.Taylor Rains/Insider

Some say the feel of Whole Foods stores have changed …

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The purchase has also led to a culture shift at the grocery chain.

A Whole Foods employee stocks produce at a California store.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

But Whole Foods remains Amazon's most successful brick-and-mortar venture.

Amazon has shuttered dozens of its '4-star' stores.Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Amazon appears to be rethinking its approach to physical stores.

Inside an Amazon Fresh location.Grace Dean/Insider

In the five years that have passed since Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, much has changed.

A Whole Foods in New York CityNoam Galai/Contributor

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