<PAGE>
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13D
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
AMENDMENT NO. 4
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
-----------------------------------------
(Name of Issuer)
Common Stock, no par value
-----------------------------------------
(Title of Class of Securities)
966837106
-----------------------------------------
(CUSIP Number)
David J. Greenwald, Esq.
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
85 Broad Street
New York, New York 10004
(212) 902-1000
----------------------------------
(Name, address and telephone number of person authorized
to receive notices and communications)
September 2, 1997
-----------------------------------------
(Date of Event which requires Filing of this Statement)
If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report
the acquisition which is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this
schedule because of Rule 13d-1(b) (3) or (4), check the following box: ______
<PAGE>
- -----------------------
CUSIP NO.
966837106
- -----------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Name of Reporting Person
S.S. or I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
(a)
----
(b) _____
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. SEC Use Only
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Source of Funds
WC;00
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Check Box if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required
Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e) X
----------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Citizenship or place of Organization
New York
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of 7 Sole Voting Power
Shares
Beneficially -0-
Owned By ----------------------------
Each 8 Shared Voting Power
Reporting 871,023
Person With ----------------------------
9 Sole Dispositive Power
-0-
----------------------------
10 Shared Dispositive Power
871,023
----------------------------
11. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person
871,023
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
12. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares
_______
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
13. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
4.4%
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
14. Type of Reporting Person
BD-PN-IA
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 2
<PAGE>
- -----------------------
CUSIP NO.
966837106
- -----------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Name of Reporting Person
S.S. or I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person
The Goldman Sachs Group, L.P.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
(a)
----
(b) _____
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. SEC Use Only
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Source of Funds
AF:00
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Check Box if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required
Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)
-----------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Citizenship or place of Organization
Delaware
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of 7 Sole Voting Power
Shares 8,328
Beneficially ----------------------------
Owned By 8 Shared Voting Power
Each 871,023
Reporting ----------------------------
Person With 9 Sole Dispositive Power
8,328
----------------------------
10 Shared Dispositive Power
871,023
----------------------------
11. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person
879,351
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
12. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares
_______
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
13. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
4.5%
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
14. Type of Reporting Person
HC-PN
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 3
<PAGE>
_____________________
CUSIP NO.
966837106
- -----------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Name of Reporting Person
S.S. or I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person
GS Advisors, L.P.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
(a)
----
(b)
----
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. SEC Use Only
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Source of Funds
AF
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Check Box if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required
Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)
-----------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Citizenship or place of Organization
Delaware
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of 7 Sole Voting Power
Shares
Beneficially -0-
Owned By ----------------------------
Each 8 Shared Voting Power
Reporting 745,561
Person With ----------------------------
9 Sole Dispositive Power
-0-
----------------------------
10 Shared Dispositive Power
745,561
----------------------------
11. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person
745,561
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
12. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares
_______
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
13. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
3.8%
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
14. Type of Reporting Person
PN
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Page 4
<PAGE>
- ----------------------
CUSIP NO.
966837106
- -----------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Name of Reporting Person
S.S. or I.R.S. Identification No. of Above Person
GS Capital Partners, L.P.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
(a)
----
(b)
----
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. SEC Use Only
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Source of Funds
WC
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Check Box if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required
Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)
---------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Citizenship or place of Organization
Delaware
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of 7 Sole Voting Power
Shares
Beneficially -0-
Owned By ----------------------------
Each 8 Shared Voting Power
Reporting 745,561
Person With ----------------------------
9 Sole Dispositive Power
-0-
----------------------------
10 Shared Dispositive Power
745,561
----------------------------
11. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person
745,561
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
12. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares
________
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
13. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
3.8%
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
14. Type of Reporting Person
PN
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Page 5
<PAGE>
AMENDMENT NO. 4 TO
SCHEDULE 13D
RELATING TO THE COMMON STOCK
OF WHOLE FOODS MARKET, INC.
GS Capital Partners, L.P. ("GS Capital"), GS Advisors, L.P. ("GS
Advisors, L.P."), Goldman, Sachs & Co. ("Goldman Sachs") and The Goldman Sachs
Group, L.P. ("GS Group", and together with GS Capital, GS Advisors, L.P. and
Goldman Sachs, the "Filing Persons")/1/ hereby amend this statement on Schedule
13D filed with respect to the Common Stock, no par value per share (the "Common
Stock") of Whole Foods Market, Inc., a Texas corporation (the "Company").
Goldman Sachs and GS Group may be deemed, for purposes of this Statement, to own
beneficially shares of Common Stock through the Limited Partnerships. Goldman
Sachs and GS Group each disclaims beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by the Limited Partnerships to the extent of partnership
interests in the Limited Partnerships held by persons other than Goldman Sachs,
GS Group or their affiliates. In addition, GS Group beneficially owns options to
purchase shares of Common Stock, and Goldman Sachs and GS Group may be
/1/ Neither the present filing nor anything contained herein shall be construed
as an admission that any Filing Person constitutes a "person" for any purpose
other than Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Page 6
<PAGE>
deemed to beneficially own shares of Common Stock held in client accounts
managed by Goldman Sachs ("Managed Accounts"). Goldman Sachs and GS Group
disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares of Common Stock held in Managed
Accounts. In addition, Goldman Sachs may from time to time acquire shares of
Common Stock in ordinary course trading activities.
Page 7
<PAGE>
Item 5 is hereby amended as follows:
ITEM 5. INTEREST IN SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER
(a) As of September 2, 1997, GS Capital beneficially owned, and GS
Advisors, L.P. may be deemed to beneficially own, 745,561 shares of Common
Stock, representing approximately 3.8% of the shares of Common Stock
outstanding, and the Other Limited Partnerships in the aggregate beneficially
owned 122,942 shares of Common Stock, representing approximately 0.6% of the
shares of Common Stock reported to be outstanding as of July 6, 1997 (as
reported in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended
July 6, 1997).
As of September 2, 1997, Goldman Sachs may be deemed to
beneficially own an aggregate of 871,023 shares of Common Stock, including
868,503 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Limited Partnerships
and 2,520 shares of Common Stock held in Managed Accounts, representing in the
aggregate approximately 4.4% of the shares of Common Stock reported to be
outstanding as of July 6, 1997 (as reported in the Company's Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the period ended July 6, 1997).
As of September 2, 1997, GS Group may be deemed to beneficially own
an aggregate of 879,351 shares of Common Stock, including the 871,023 shares
of Common Stock which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Goldman Sachs
and 8,328 shares of Common Stock subject to options owned by GS Group that are
currently exercisable, representing in the aggregate approximately 4.5% of the
shares of Common Stock reported to be outstanding as of July 6, 1997 (as
reported in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended
July 6, 1997).
GS Group and Goldman Sachs disclaim beneficial ownership of (i) the
shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Limited Partnerships to the
extent of partnership interests in the Limited Partnerships held by persons
other than GS Group, Goldman Sachs or their affiliates and (ii) shares of Common
Stock held in Managed Accounts.
Page 8
<PAGE>
None of the Filing Persons and, to the knowledge of each of the Filing
Persons, none of the Limited Partnerships that is not a Filing Person and none
of the persons listed in Schedule I or II hereto beneficially owned any shares
of Common Stock as of September 2, 1997 other than as set forth herein.
(b) Each Filing Person shares the power to vote or direct the vote and
to dispose or direct the disposition of shares of Common Stock beneficially
owned by such Filing Person as indicated in the 2nd through 5th pages of this
filing. Each of the Limited Partnerships that is not a Filing Person shares the
power to vote or direct the vote and to dispose or direct the disposition of all
of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Limited Partnerships.
(c) Schedule IV sets forth transactions in the Common Stock which have
been effected during the period since the most recent filing, August 23, 1997
through September 2, 1997. Except as set forth on Schedule IV, no transactions
in the Common Stock were effected by the Filing Persons, or, to the knowledge of
any of the Filing Persons, any of the Limited Partnerships that is not a Filing
Person or any of the persons listed on Schedules I or II hereto, during such
period. The transactions in the Common Stock described in Schedule IV were
effected by the Limited Partnerships in the over the counter market directly
with a market maker in the Common Stock.
(e) As of September 2, 1997, each of the Reporting Persons had ceased
to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the Common Stock.
Item 6 is hereby amended as follows:
On August 30, 1997, the Company confirmed to the escrow agent that no
claim had been made with respect to the shares of Common Stock held pursuant to
the escrow agreement.
Page 9
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE
---------
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth is true, complete and correct.
Dated: September 4, 1997
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
By:/s/ Richard A. Friedman
----------------------------------------
Name: Richard A. Friedman
Title: Managing Director
THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, L.P.
By: The Goldman Sachs Corporation, its
general partner
By: /s/ Richard A. Friedman
-----------------------------------------
Name: Richard A. Friedman
Title: Executive Vice President
GS ADVISORS, L.P.
By: GS Advisors, Inc., its general partner
By: /s/ Richard A. Friedman
----------------------------------------
Name: Richard A. Friedman
Title: President
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.
By: GS Advisors, L.P., its general partner
By: GS Advisors, Inc., its general partner
By: /s/ Richard A. Friedman
-----------------------------------------
Name: Richard A. Friedman
Title: President
Page 10
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE IV
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Cusip No. 966837106
Purchases Sales Price Trade Date Settlement
Date
10,000 34.250 26-Aug-97 29-Aug-97
25,000 34.125 26-Aug-97 29-Aug-97
5,000 34.125 27-Aug-97 2-Sep-97
100,000 34.000 28-Aug-97 3-Sep-97
20,000 34.375 2-Sep-97 5-Sep-97
15,000 34.438 2-Sep-97 5-Sep-97
30,000 34.500 2-Sep-97 5-Sep-97
Page 11