Seattle — Amazon has unveiled plans to close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant states that it hasn’t “yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion.” Customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for delivery.
At the same time, Amazon plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years, citing increased investment in “physical stores that are resonating with customers.” Amazon acquired the Austin, Texas-based natural and organic foods grocer in 2017 in a $13.7 billion deal. Since then, the brand has experienced over 40% sales growth and expansion to more than 550 locations.
There are 14 Amazon Go convenience stores located in Washington, California, Illinois and New York. According to the company, Amazon Go locations served as innovation hubs where Amazon developed Just Walk Out technology — now a scalable checkout-free solution operating in over 360 third-party locations across five countries…