Beginning in April, individual Whole Foods Market stores will have less say in what items make it onto their shelves.
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, whose purchase by Amazon was formalized in August, will no longer allow suppliers to promote their products at the store level, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal. Instead, executives at the grocer’s headquarters will choose more of stores’ inventories.
The move will bring Whole Foods more in line with how conventional retailers choose products, according to the story.
Whole Foods remains committed to offering local brands in its stores, however, according to a company spokeswoman quoted in the story.
“Local suppliers and products are crucial to the success of the company,” she said.