Gillian Tan, Columnist

Supermarkets Enter Amazon's Deep Freeze

The beaten-up shares may not recover until grocers come up with a clear plan for standing up to their deep-pocketed challenger.
Photographer: DHIRAJ SINGH/Bloomberg
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Amazon.com Inc.'s surprise decision to splash $13.7 billion on Whole Foods Market Inc. will undoubtedly be great for consumers. For Whole Foods's rivals? Not so much.

Shares of supermarket operators from Kroger Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. through to smaller peers Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. and Supervalu Inc. all tumbled on Friday: