Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Markets, Texas Food Chain to Merge

Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Food Markets, based in Sherman Oaks, said Wednesday that it agreed to be acquired by Whole Foods Market Inc. in a $56-million stock deal that merges the nation’s two biggest natural-food supermarket chains.

Whole Foods, based in Austin, Tex., has 22 stores in Texas and five other states. In fiscal 1992, it reported sales of about $120 million. Privately owned Mrs. Gooch’s, with seven stores in the Los Angeles area, had about $85 million in sales last year.

John Mackey, Whole Foods’ chairman and chief executive, said: “We think we can expand to about 20 Mrs. Gooch’s stores in Southern California over the next six or seven years.”

Mrs. Gooch’s shareholders will receive about 1.5 million shares of Whole Foods stock. The transaction is subject to approval of Whole Foods shareholders.

Whole Foods’ stock climbed $1.25 to close at $37.25 a share.

Mrs. Gooch’s would continue to operate under the name of the chain’s co-founder, Sandy Gooch.