Amazon.com drew one step closer to buying Whole Foods Market Wednesday as shareholders of the high-end grocer voted to approve the $13.7 billion acquisition.
The deal, announced in June, would be a big move into the grocery business for Seattle-based Amazon, and gives the online commerce giant a huge stake in brick-and-mortar retail in the form of 460 Whole Foods stores.
Amazon has said it expects the deal, which still requires regulatory approval, to close by year-end.
There has been opposition to the acquisition by critics of the company and some members of Congress.
On Wednesday, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union renewed its criticism of Amazon, asking the Whole Foods board and shareholders to guarantee protections for workers' jobs and salaries after the deal.
The union, which represents grocery workers, said the deal was "a threat to Whole Foods workers and their families."�
