All Amazon Fresh stores will close in the UK, just four years after the first shop opened up in London.
The US tech company intends to close all 19 Fresh stores and turn five of them into Whole Foods Market shops, the US organic grocery chain it acquired in 2017. The first Amazon Fresh store opened up in Ealing, west London, in 2021.
Amazon Fresh stores allow customers to leave with their shopping without having to use a till. Instead, highly sensitive cameras and sensors monitor which products a shopper picks up, and they are charged when they leave.
However, the concept has failed to pick up steam. Demand for in-person contactless shopping waned at the end of the coronavirus pandemic, and the stores have not been as popular as other British supermarket chains like Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Where are Amazon Fresh stores in the UK located?
- Aldgate, Greater London
- Angel, Greater London
- Chingford, Greater London
- East Croydon, Greater London
- Euston, Greater London
- Holborn, Greater London
- Hounslow, Greater London
- Hoxton, Greater London
- Kensington, Greater London
- Liverpool Street, Greater London
- Moorgate, Greater London
- Monument, Greater London
- Notting Hill Gate, Greater London
- Southwark, Greater London
- Sevenoaks, Greater London
- Wembley, Greater London
- West Hampstead, Greater London
- White City, Greater London
- Wood Wharf, Greater London
Amazon has not confirmed how many staff would be impacted by the closures, however it said it plans to offer workers new roles elsewhere in the company.
The move comes amid a larger shift in how Amazon is operating in the grocery market, as the corporation has exercised more control over Whole Foods, which it bought for $13.7bn (£10.7bn) in 2017.
This summer, Amazon expanded its corporate staff programmes, such as pay structure and benefits, to US corporate employees at Whole Foods, in a move intended to integrate the businesses more closely together.
Amazon also said on Tuesday that it intends to double the number of Prime subscription members in the UK by providing access to at least three of its grocery options, via its partnerships with Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op and Gopuff.
Shoppers would also be able to purchase fresh groceries on the Amazon website from next year, the company said.
Amazon’s grocery business has been subject to rising scrutiny in the UK, with demands to comply with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
In June, the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), the industry watchdog, began an investigation into Amazon following claims that the company was failing to pay suppliers on time.
The GCA oversees Britain’s 14 largest grocery retailers – including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer – to ensure they are treating suppliers fairly.
It restricts companies from changing supply contracts at short notice and also requires retailers to give an appropriate period of notice if they no longer want to use a supplier, and provide justification for ending the contract.
John Boumphrey, country manager for Amazon UK, said: “Since 2008, we’ve worked hard to innovate to help our customers save time and money when shopping for groceries and household essentials.
“We continue to invent and invest to bring more choice and convenience to UK customers, enabling them to shop for a wide range of everyday essentials and groceries with low prices and fast delivery through Amazon.co.uk, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market stores, alongside our third-party grocery partners, including Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland, and Gopuff.”
Amazon said that if its Whole Foods expansion plans continue, it would have 12 Whole Foods stores in the UK by the end of 2026.
