Amazon moves to offer ship-to-store services and lower prices through Whole Foods

SEATTLE — Amazon will be wasting no time onboarding Whole Foods, the online retailer announced Thursday. As the company closes the deal on Monday, Amazon will immediately implement lower pricing across the Whole Foods banner, including many popular produce and meat products.



Also, Amazon Lockers will be available in select Whole Foods Market stores, affording Whole Foods a click-and-collect offering. Customers can have products shipped from Amazon.com to their local Whole Foods Market store for pick up or send returns back to Amazon during a trip to the store.



"This is just the beginning," stated Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer. "We will make Amazon Prime the customer rewards program at Whole Foods Market and continuously lower prices as we invent together. There is significant work and opportunity ahead, and we’re thrilled to get started.”



When the integration of Amazon Prime into the Whole Foods Market point-of-sale system is complete, Prime members will receive special savings and in-store benefits, Amazon added. The two companies will invent in additional areas over time, including in merchandising and logistics, to enable lower prices for Whole Foods Market customers.



“It’s been our mission for 39 years at Whole Foods Market to bring the highest quality food to our customers,” said John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO. “By working together with Amazon and integrating in several key areas, we can lower prices and double down on that mission and reach more people with Whole Foods Market’s high-quality, natural and organic food," he said. "As part of our commitment to quality, we’ll continue to expand our efforts to support and promote local products and suppliers. We can’t wait to start showing customers what’s possible when Whole Foods Market and Amazon innovate together.”



Starting Monday, Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices on a selection of best-selling staples across its stores, with much more to come. Customers will enjoy lower prices on products like Whole Trade bananas, organic avocados, organic large brown eggs, organic responsibly-farmed salmon and tilapia, organic baby kale and baby lettuce, animal-welfare-rated 85% lean ground beef, creamy and crunchy almond butter, organic Gala and Fuji apples, organic rotisserie chicken and 365 Everyday Value organic butter.



Also beginning Monday, Whole Foods Market’s healthy and high-quality private label products—including 365 Everyday Value, Whole Foods Market, Whole Paws and Whole Catch—will be available through Amazon.com, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now.