Amazon Reportedly Considered Whole Foods Bid Before Jana Stepped In

(RTTNews) - Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), seen as a possible bidder for Whole Foods Market Inc., pondered a takeover of the organic-food chain last fall but didn't pursue a deal, Bloomberg reported citing a person familiar with the matter.

The e-commerce giant considered internally whether Whole Foods would help invigorate its nearly decadelong push into groceries, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations were private. The discussions never turned into a concrete plan, according to the person.

Though Whole Foods has long been seen as a buyout target, activist investor Jana Partners LLC set off a new wave of speculation this week when it acquired a stake and urged the company to evaluate a sale.