Would a Whole Foods Market by any other name be the same?

We’ll see in Wichita, Kansas, where the chain will be a part of new development in the city under a yet-to-be announced banner, according to the Wichita Business Journal.

The reason for the name change?

The local Whole Foods Association, which operates three health food stores in Wichita under the name Whole Foods. [Waterfront development partner Johnny] Stevens says the big Whole Foods didn’t want to fight with the little Whole Foods. The local Whole Foods Association was established in 1974, its website reads. That predates the original Whole Foods Market, which opened in 1980, according to the big Whole Foods’ website.

A name change appears a wise move as this isn’t the first time such name conflicts have occurred. Sprouts Natural Market (a smaller independent) took on the larger Sprouts Farmers Market in California, winning rights to its name in one community but not the other.

Read the complete Wichita Business Journal story here.