LONDON: Amazon said Tuesday it will close all 19 of its Fresh supermarkets in the United Kingdom, marking a strategic retreat from its physical grocery footprint in the region.
The company announced the move in a blog post, citing “a thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.” Five of the Fresh locations will be converted into Whole Foods Market stores, Amazon said.
Amazon launched its first Fresh store outside the United States in London in 2021, a year after debuting the format in Los Angeles. The Fresh brand was designed to offer lower prices and broader product selections than Whole Foods, which Amazon acquired for $13.7 billion in 2017. Several Fresh stores featured Amazon’s cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology.
The U.K. closures reflect Amazon’s broader recalibration of its grocery strategy. In the U.S., the company has slowed expansion of both its Fresh and Go store formats, while continuing to operate more than 500 Whole Foods locations. Amazon has also introduced smaller-format “daily shop” Whole Foods stores in New York City.