100,000-SF Wine Store Chain Phased Out

Whole Foods issued approximately 1.03 million shares of stock in the deal, reportedly worth more than $40 million.

For Whole Foods, the transaction and other merger-related costs associated with the acquisition of Merchant of Vino totaled approximately $1.1 million. Now, Whole Foods has changed over most of the four gourmet/natural food supermarkets in the Detroit area, and the two specialty wine shops. The company closed the 22,000-sf Farmington Hills store in late December, and closed the 4,000-sf Troy store this month.

Susan Bellinson, the local marketing director for the company, says the new stores will be beneficial to customers.

"We want to focus on our core mission in Michigan, so we are consolidating the stores we have," she tells GlobeSt.com.

A new 52,000-sf Whole Foods is planned for Ann Arbor. The current 18,450-sf Merchant of Vino and another, smaller Whole Foods store will be combined into this new mega-store, Bellinson says.

"It will be a seamless transfer of stock and employees," she adds. "It should open in 2003, with about 30% more floor space than we have currently in the city."

She notes the new store will also boost employment at the store by about 15% to 25%.

Another 23,000-sf Merchant of Vino store in Troy and a similar 22,450-sf store in Rochester have already been changed over to Whole Food Markets. Company officials say the merger allowed them to enter the Detroit market, an area that it had neglected.

Ed and Juliette's son, Marc Jonna, is continuing his career with Whole Foods Market as the national wine buyer.

Whole Food Company also opened its doors in 1974, in New Orleans. Bellinson says the company functions by quality standards used when deciding what foods to sell.

"All of our products are free from preservatives and artificial colors and flavors," she said. "We evaluate every food before we sell it.