Reacting to a story that appeared in the March 18 edition of The Produce News, Southern California-based Stater Bros. categorically denied a rumor that Amazon was considering buying the family-owned mid-sized retailer.

Stater Bros. Director of Communications Marisa Kutansky told The Produce News on March 19 “the rumor is untrue.”

The original story cited longtime Southern California retailer Dick Spezzano of Spezzano Consulting Service. In the story on Amazon’s interest in brick-and-mortar retailing, Spezzano did not vouch for the veracity of the Stater Bros. report but rather said he had heard it as a “rumor” in early March from a third party.

After Stater Bros.’ denial of being involved in negotiations with any potential buyer, Spezzano went back to his original source and could not confirm the rumor. He said that after further checking, the unnamed originator of the rumor “told me it was not Stater Bros. He said Amazon is looking at somebody, but it is not Stater Bros. and he couldn’t confirm who it is or even where they are located.”