On Tuesday, Amazon said it will close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh stores in Britain arrived following a “thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.” But Amazon will “expand our delivery services to new areas,” according to a blog post. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Amazon said Tuesday it is shuttering all Britain-based “Fresh” markets in an effort to realign its global grocery retail strategies with its Whole Foods chain.
The global retail giant said its plan to close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh stores in Britain arrived following a “thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.”
“In response to strong customer demand, we are working hard to add more grocery selection online and expand our delivery services to new areas,” according to a blog post.
Company officials added that at least five of the sites will be converted into an Amazon-owned Whole Foods store after it acquired the upscale organic grocery chain in 2017 for over $13 billion.
In 2021, Amazon opened its first Fresh location in London nearly a year after its Amazon Fresh in a Los Angeles neighborhood was unveiled in Amazon’s ongoing bid to figure out cheaper grocery prices at a mass scale.
Last summer, Amazon hit a milestone for the number of its 150 Amazon Fresh locations in cities across massively populated India.
On Tuesday, Amazon said it will focus on its grocery unit and offer same-day grocery delivery starting next year in Britain and expand in Iceland.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in May during a call with investors that Amazon remained “bullish” on its grocery chains and called it a “significant” part of its business.
In August, Amazon announced it will add perishable grocery items to its same-day delivery services in more than 1,000 U.S. cities.
The company cited a PwC report on Tuesday that suggested the British population is expected soon to purchase over 25% of food spending online.
It claimed with its new expansion that “more than 80% of” Britain’s Amazon Prime members “will be able to shop at least one of our grocery partners” once its transition is finalized.
