Q: What’s the result of the Wild Oats merger?
A: The end result is that it’s been great. Our Wild Oats same-store sales were up like 16% in the second quarter.
Q: Would you do that merger again?
A: No. We’ll never do another merger that requires FTC approval. It was the worst experience of Whole Foods’ corporate life. All my e-mails were examined by the FTC. The $30 million in legal fees. … For what? To prove we weren’t a monopoly? Everyone knows we’re not….
Yay, regulators.