Internet giant Amazon is reportedly planning to take on the UK's supermarket giants by opening 260 new stores across the country.
The company is said to be planning the rapid roll-out over the next three years, with no tills and no cash accepted, reports The Mirror.
There are already six Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the UK afte r the first was opened in Ealing, West London in March of this year.
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It is a totally different shopping experience to what UK consumers are used to - customers scan a quick response code as they enter, then simply put items in their bag.
Cameras and sensors detect what they have picked up and shoppers simply walk out with their goods, with the bill sent straight to their account.
The website Business Insiders claims Amazon will open another 60 stores next year, 100 in 2023 and 100 more in 2024.
The documents are said to say: “In 2022, we assume a broader roll-out of two store launches per week by the end of [the] year. In 2023 and 2024, we are planning 100 stores launched per year, in line with more aggressive opening programmes achieved by convenience stores in the UK in the last five years.”
The report also claims Amazon is looking to open supermarkets in Germany, Spain and Italy next year.
A spokesman for Amazon said: “We do not comment on rumours or speculation.”
Last month Amazon opened its first mini department store outside the US in Kent’s Bluewater shopping centre. The branch sells 2,000 of what it says are its best-selling or most “trending” lines, including books, gadgets, toys and homewares.
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