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.
At the same time, Amazon says it’s “planning to invest in opening more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years,” as well as five more convenience-store style Whole Foods Market Daily Shop locations by the end of this year.
Amazon also stated that it will still be “testing new physical store experiences,” like its Amazon Grocery location in Chicago and a Whole Foods concept store in Pennsylvania, where shoppers can also purchase products from Amazon. 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.
