The expansion of the brand, which the e-commerce giant bought in 2017 for more than $13B, would add suburban locations and locations in new markets in the United States and possibly elsewhere.

The expansion would also ramp up Amazon’s ambition to compete with Walmart and Kroger, which hold the largest shares of the nation’s grocery market. That is because more Whole Foods stores would put more customers within range of Amazon’s two-hour delivery service, Prime Now, the Wall Street Journal reports. More Whole Foods locations offering Prime Now delivery would mean more direct competition for Walmart and Kroger, both of which offer pickup at a large number of locations. Read more