A fire that gutted a block of buildings on London's busy Oxford Street last week was started in Whole Foods Market's HQ. The blaze, which ripped though the office space above the New Look fashion store, forced more than 20 neighbouring stores to close and brought the street to a standstill. A source close to Whole Foods Market said that the office had been completely destroyed by the flames, which took several hours to extinguish. Adminstrative staff at the office, which also handles business for the company's six Fresh and Wild stores, have been transferred to a temporary base in another part of town. A spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market was adamant the loss of equipment and files would not delay the opening of its first London store on 6 June.