Mackey and the Wild Oats

According to both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, has been posting as Rahodeb on the Yahoo financial bulletin board about his rival, Wild Oats Market, for seven years. Mr. Mackey’s alias surfaced in a footnote in a 40-page court document filed on June 6 by lawyers for the Federal Trade Commission. Rahodeb cheered Whole Foods' financial results, trumpeted his gains on the stock and bashed Wild Oats. Snippets from the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Whole Foods announced in February that it planned to acquire Wild Oats for $565 million. In early June the FTC said that it would file a complaint today to block the proposed merger between Whole Foods and Wild Oats, arguing that the merger would lead to higher prices for natural and organic products in markets where the two chains compete. Snippet from the Wall Street Journal.

Mackey has his say on his blog.