OATS Wild Oats Markets (MM)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wild Oats Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:OATS), a leading national natural and organic foods retailer, and Peapod, the country's leading Internet grocer, today announced they have expanded their partnership into the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland markets. Now, more than 120 Wild Oats branded natural and organic products are available to shoppers on the Peapod online grocery site. The selection of products will range from New York style cheesecake, organic Argentinean olive oil and natural cheeses to all-natural shortbread cookies, imported Italian sodas and exotic marinades. Since there is not a Wild Oats Natural Marketplace in the D.C. Metro area at this time, this partnership provides area residents with one-click access to convenient home delivery of Wild Oats high-quality natural, organic and specialty products. This is Wild Oats' second venture into online food retailing with Peapod. In 2004, Wild Oats launched a successful partnership with Peapod in Chicago. "The number one request we get from shoppers is that they want us to put a Wild Oats store in their neighborhood," said Perry Odak, President & CEO for Wild Oats Markets. "Since we don't have a store in the D.C. Metro area, Peapod is the perfect way to deliver our Wild Oats products right to customers' doorsteps. In our on-going quest to bring high-quality, great tasting natural and organic foods to consumers, we're pleased to introduce new people to the great taste of Wild Oats." In addition to meeting consumers' needs for convenience in today's hectic world, natural and organic products fit like peas in a pod with online retailing in terms of consumer attributes. "We're pleased to expand our partnership with Wild Oats and help bring their natural and organic foods to the D.C. Metro market," said Tony Stallone, Vice President of Fresh Markets and Merchandising for Peapod. "We look forward to Peapod and Wild Oats products being successful here as they are in Chicago." The Wild Oats line of branded products incorporates the highest quality ingredients and attractive packaging that provides information about the benefits of natural and organic foods. For more information about natural and organics, and Wild Oats product standards, visit http://www.wildoats.com/. About Wild Oats Markets Wild Oats Markets, Inc. is a nationwide chain of natural and organic foods markets in the U.S. and Canada. With more than $1.1 billion in annual sales, the Company operates 113 natural foods stores in 24 states and British Columbia, Canada. The Company's markets include: Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry's Farmers Market, Sun Harvest and Capers Community Markets. For more information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.wildoats.com/. About Peapod Founded in 1989 as a smart shopping option for busy people, Peapod today stands as the country's leading Internet grocer, serving 18 U.S. markets including the metro areas of Chicago, Boston, Suburban N.Y. and Washington, D.C., and communities in the states of Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia and Rhode Island. The Skokie, Illinois-based company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold in The Netherlands, has achieved over 8 million deliveries since its late 1980s inception. For more information on Peapod, call 1.800.5.PEAPOD (573.2763); e-mail or visit http://www.peapod.com/. DATASOURCE: Wild Oats Markets, Inc. CONTACT: Sonja Tuitele of Wild Oats Markets, Inc., +1-720-562-4984, ; or Elana Margolis of Peapod, LLC, +1-847-583-6313, cell, +1-773-610-0019, Web site: http://www.wildoats.com/ http://www.peapod.com/

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