Whole Foods in Columbia? Mum's the Official Word

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m.

Citing "multiple informed sources," the Tale of Two Cities blog has reported that Whole Foods Market is in the final stages of negotiations with the Howard Hughes Corp. to lease space in the Howard Hughes Building — the former Rouse Co. headquarters in the Columbia Town Center.

But while TOTC first published the item about Whole Foods and blogger HowChow repeated it, mum's the word from the Hughes Corp. and Whole Foods, a natural and organic food market.

The Howard Hughes Corp., "as a public company, cannot comment on any negotiations held with other public companies," Hughes Senior Vice President John DeWolf said in an email to Columbia Patch.

"We don’t have any firm plans to open a store in Columbia at this time but we are always seeking new locations," Whole Foods spokeswoman Defausha Hampton said in an email to Patch.

Whole Foods welcomes customer requests for future store locations, she said.

The company officially announces new stores on its quarterly earnings calls, according to Hampton.