MRS. GOOCH’S DEAL: In 1977, after having...

MRS. GOOCH’S DEAL: In 1977, after having a severe allergic reaction to a common soft-drink ingredient, Sandy Gooch decided, with Dan Volland, to open a health-food store. It prospered, growing into a chain of seven stores catering to upscale, health-conscious shoppers. . . . Now Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Food Markets, based in Sherman Oaks, has agreed to be bought by a Texas chain of natural food stores for $56 million (D2). The company will keep the Mrs. Gooch’s name in Southern California, but after the deal concludes in July, Gooch and Volland will leave the business. She wouldn’t say why she decided to sell the company.