Amazon will shut all 19 of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, just four years after opening its first site in London. Five locations will be converted into Whole Foods Market outlets, as the company shifts its grocery strategy.
The Fresh stores launched in 2021 with a till-free model that charged customers automatically via an app. The concept failed to gain traction after the pandemic, and Amazon could not mount a serious challenge to Tesco or Sainsbury’s.
Amazon has not confirmed how many jobs will be lost, though it said affected staff would be offered roles elsewhere in the business.
The closures come as Amazon increases its focus on Whole Foods, the US organic chain it bought in 2017 for $13.7bn. Over the summer, the company moved to integrate Whole Foods more closely, extending corporate programmes to its employees.
Amazon also plans to expand grocery partnerships with Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland and Gopuff, and will allow customers to buy fresh groceries directly from its website from next year.
The shake-up comes as Amazon faces scrutiny from the UK’s Groceries Code Adjudicator, which is investigating complaints over late supplier payments.
