Amazon rewrites rule book for grocers

Price cuts on staples at Whole Foods (WFM) are aimed at boosting traffic at rivals' expense This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (August 28, 2017). Inc. (AMZN) will bring lower prices to its new Whole Foods Market Inc. It also will bring a new rule book. While Amazon doesn't need to make money from its grocery division yet, food sales are crucial for traditional players like Kroger (KR), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and Target Corp. (TGT) The extremely competitive food-retail business demands high capital investments for low margins. Supermarkets' success has mainly relied on getting customers into conveniently located stores with deals.