Amazon is throwing in the towel on Amazon Fresh, announcing today (Tuesday) that it will close all locations in favor of a renewed focus on Whole Foods Market and other concepts.
The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1, with the exception of its California locations, which will remain open longer to comply with state requirements, Amazon said.
Amazon plans to renovate and reopen “various” sites as Whole Foods Markets, but details, including which locations will be converted and the exact timelines, are still being finalized, according to a spokesperson.
“We’re evaluating each location based on multiple factors,” Amazon told FFXnow. “The goal is to optimize our physical retail footprint by placing Whole Foods Market stores where they’ll best serve customers and perform well. We will share more information at a later date.”
Amazon Fresh made its D.C.-area debut in May 2021 with a store in Franconia’s Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center (7005 Manchester Blvd). The brand later expanded to Fairfax City, Bailey’s Crossroads and Lorton, though a planned Fair Lakes location never materialized.
In total, the company operates 57 Amazon Fresh stores and 15 Amazon Go stores, which will also close after Feb. 1.
“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company said in the post.
Amazon noted that customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for “fast and convenient delivery.”
Since Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods Market in 2017, it’s seen more than 40% sales growth and expansion to more than 550 locations, it said. It now plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years.
At the same time, shoppers are turning to online delivery for everyday essentials and fresh food, Amazon said.
The online retailer is now delivering groceries to 5,000 U.S. cities and towns, including thousands served by same-day delivery where customers can shop produce and other perishables along with staples. Based on strong customer feedback, it said it plans to expand its same-day delivery service of fresh groceries to more areas this year.
Still, Amazon pledges to continue to experiment with new physical store formats.
The company revealed on Tuesday its plans to open a “new supercenter” physical retail concept designed for customers to shop Amazon’s broad selection across fresh groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise. The company didn’t provide any other details including the timing of the opening.
Amazon also is testing a new in-store format called Amazon Grocery, which it launched alongside Whole Foods Market in Chicago. This concept at Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, lets customer also shop for groceries and household essentials from Amazon.
Amazon opened its first Amazon Go concept in 2018 in Seattle, letting shoppers take milk, potato chips or ready-to-eat salads off its shelves and just walk out. Amazon’s technology charges customers after they leave.
It said that it’s gathered valuable insights along the way.
For example, its Amazon Go locations served as “innovation hubs” where it developed “just walk out” technology—now a checkout solution operating in more than 360 third-party locations across five countries.
Amazon said it’s expanding its “just walk out” technology to Amazon’s own operations, with more than 40 North American fulfillment centers using it in breakrooms today, and more planned for 2026, helping employees grab meals without checkout delays.
Amazon introduced its first Amazon Fresh physical store in 2020. The stores features an assortment of national brands and produce, meat and seafood.
