VentureBeat: Amazon Closes Whole Foods Acquisition

Amazon has officially closed its purchase of Whole Foods today for $13.7 billion. According to a recent VentureBeat article, the companies are immediately making changes that will affect customers and the retail industry. Today, Whole Foods will be offering lower prices on meat, produce and staples, while Amazon will offer Prime members special savings and in-store benefits through updates to stores’ point-of-sales systems.

The combination of the two brands will become the fifth largest U.S. grocery retailer and experts believe it will climb the ranks by 2021. The purchase has already affected grocery chain share prices for brands like Walmart, Target, Kroger, Costco and SuperValue.

The integration also brings many new possibilities for shopping technology including changes to deliveries, fast pickups and quicker ordering with Alexa’s shopping history. Whole Foods stores may also dedicate space for Amazon Lockers or Amazon Go grab-and-go technology.

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