Whole Foods 365 News 2019

Back before the days of $13.7 billion acquisitions and corporate takeover, the Whole Foods 365 concept was the source of great excitement. With 400 wines under $20 and affordable produce that would finally help Whole Foods shed its "Whole Paycheck" moniker, the less-expensive sister store seemed to be a way to make groceries more acceptable.

Twelve locations and a pile of scrapped expansion plans later, it was recently announced that there will be no new 365 locations. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey apparently felt that the prices at normal locations are low enough, in part due to the Amazon acquisition in 2017. And now, just six weeks after that announcement, the stores are leaving for good. All existing 365 branches will pivot by the end of the year to join Whole Foods' fleet of "regular" stores.

"The price distinction between the two brands has become less relevant," Mackey said in an internal memo in January. Amazon Prime members receive discounts, deals and more, with Amazon Fresh delivery available as well.

This article was originally published on January 15, 2019, and was updated with new information on February 28, 2019.