Amazon is shutting down all of its physical Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh grocery stores.
The company is shifting its focus to online grocery delivery and expanding Whole Foods Market.
Some former Fresh/Go locations will become Whole Foods stores and new formats.
There’s a major change coming to Amazon’s grocery world.
Amazon has announced that it will close all of its brick-and-mortar Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores as part of a strategic shift toward online grocery delivery and expanding its Whole Foods Market business.
This isn’t just a few stores — all locations under both Amazon Go (the cashier-free convenience shops) and Amazon Fresh (the grocery stores) will close. Some stores are already shutting their doors, and most others are slated to be fully closed by early February, with certain California locations staying open a bit longer for legal reasons.
“After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we've made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores,” Amazon staff wrote in a statement.
“Customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for fast and convenient delivery.”
What’s behind the move?
Amazon says that while its physical grocery experiments offered useful lessons, those shops didn’t deliver the kind of unique experience or economic sustainability the company was hoping for on a large scale.
Instead, Amazon wants to double down on what’s working — online grocery delivery (now available in thousands of U.S. cities with same-day options) and Whole Foods Market, which has seen strong growth since Amazon bought it in 2017.
As part of this strategy, Amazon plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods locations over the next few years and expand Whole Foods Market Daily Shop — a smaller, convenience-focused version of Whole Foods with ready-to-eat meals, coffee, and essentials.
What this means for you
Here’s what customers should keep in mind as Amazon’s grocery landscape changes:
Your grocery delivery options are growing. Even though the physical stores are closing, Amazon Fresh will still operate online where available, and same-day delivery of fresh produce and household items is expanding.
Whole Foods is becoming the face of Amazon’s grocery ecosystem. You’re likely to see more Whole Foods stores in your area — including new, smaller formats that offer convenience without the Fresh or Go branding.
Some old stores may return with a new look. Rather than disappear entirely, a number of former Amazon Fresh and Go locations will become Whole Foods outlets or other new retail concepts Amazon is exploring.