Amazon shutters all of its physical Go and Fresh stores

"Amazon Go and Fresh physical store locations will soon be no more, with Amazon announcing on Tuesday that it's closing up the majority of the stores and converting others into Whole Foods Market locations. Customers will still be able to order from Amazon Fresh online, but won't be able to shop at physical stores with the same name. Amazon is also planning to expand its same-day delivery option for groceries and household essentials to more cities over the coming year."

"The Go and Fresh closures come as Amazon doubles down on expanding the Whole Foods brand rather than its own in-house physical grocery stores. That expansion includes over 100 new Whole Foods Market locations opening over the next few years, along with five new locations for the smaller, convenience store-style Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. Amazon also stated that it will still be "testing new physical store experiences,""

"Earlier this month, an Amazon proposal for a sprawling Walmart-like supercenter was approved in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, Illinois. That development does not appear to be a Whole Foods Market, so Amazon's plans for more of its own brick-and-mortar stores may still be in the works despite closing its book stores, 4-star stores, Pop Up shop, Style stores, and now Go and Fresh stores."

Amazon will close the majority of Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting some locations into Whole Foods Market outlets. Customers can continue ordering from Amazon Fresh online, but the Amazon Fresh storefront brand will largely disappear. Amazon plans to expand same-day grocery and household essentials delivery to additional cities over the coming year. The company is prioritizing expansion of the Whole Foods brand, including over 100 new Whole Foods Market locations and five Whole Foods Market Daily Shop convenience stores. Amazon will still test new physical formats, such as Amazon Grocery in Chicago and a Whole Foods concept store in Pennsylvania, and pursued a supercenter proposal in Orland Park.

Read at The Verge