Boulder found itself at the center of national business news following the announced purchase of Wild Oats Markets by Whole Foods Market of Austin, TX, for $565 million. According to the Boulder County Business Report, Whole Foods is moving ahead with plans to double the size of its Boulder store at the Crossroads Commons shopping center, and Wild Oats' is on schedule to open its Twenty Ninth Street store this spring. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission has requested further information in investigating the proposed merger, a move that is not unusual in larger-scale mergers and acquisitions, say analysts. In response, Whole Foods extended the deadline of its offer to April 24 to accommodate the FTC's request. Also, the Daily Camera reported on February 28 that Wild Oats plans to pay bonuses valued up to $4 million to 318 of its management-level employees to encourage them to stay on for the period of transition. Wild Oats operates 110 natural foods stores in 24 states and Canada. Whole Foods Market has nearly 200 stores in the United States and the United Kingdom.