Which grocery-chain operator did Amazon acquire in 2017 for about $13.7 billion?

Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market in 2017 for about $13.7 billion, including debt.

Whole Foods Market began in Austin, Texas, in 1980, when John Mackey, Renee Lawson Hardy, Craig Weller, and Mark Skiles opened the first store. It grew into a major natural- and organic-food retailer through store expansion and acquisitions of regional chains. Amazon’s purchase gave the online retailer a nationwide physical grocery footprint and introduced it to a large network of stores, employees, suppliers, and shoppers.

The transaction closed in August 2017. Amazon immediately lowered prices on selected products and integrated some benefits for Prime members, linking its digital subscription ecosystem with physical grocery shopping. The deal is sometimes confused with Amazon’s later grocery ventures, such as Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go. Those were Amazon-branded formats; Whole Foods Market kept its own name and stores after the acquisition.