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Amazon to close Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh to concentrate on Whole Foods and grocery delivery

Amazon to close Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh to concentrate on Whole Foods and grocery delivery

People walk out of an Amazon Go store in Seattle, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
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People walk out of an Amazon Go store in Seattle, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
By  ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
Updated 9:15 AM GMT+9, January 28, 2026
Comments 21

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NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said it’s closing all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations, as the online behemoth focuses on its grocery delivery, Whole Foods Market and a new “supersized” store concept.

The Seattle-based online retailer said Tuesday in a blog post that it plans to convert some of those soon-to-be shuttered locations into Whole Foods Market stores. The company operates 57 Amazon Fresh stores and 15 Amazon Go stores.

“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company said in the post.

Amazon noted that customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for “fast and convenient delivery.”

The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1, with the exception of its California locations, which will remain open longer to comply with state requirements, Amazon said.

Since Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods Market in 2017, it’s seen more than 40% sales growth and expansion to more than 550 locations, it said. It now plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years.

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At the same time, shoppers are turning to online delivery for everyday essentials and fresh food, Amazon said.

The online retailer is now delivering groceries to 5,000 U.S. cities and towns, including thousands served by same-day delivery where customers can shop produce and other perishables along with staples. Based on strong customer feedback, it said it plans to expand its same-day delivery service of fresh groceries to more areas this year.

Still, Amazon pledges to continue to experiment with new physical store formats.

The company revealed on Tuesday its plans to open a “new supercenter” physical retail concept designed for customers to shop Amazon’s broad selection across fresh groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise. The company didn’t provide any other details including the timing of the opening.

Amazon also is testing a new in-store format called Amazon Grocery, which it launched alongside Whole Foods Market in Chicago. This concept at Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, lets customer also shop for groceries and household essentials from Amazon

Amazon opened its first Amazon Go concept in 2018 in Seattle, letting shoppers take milk, potato chips or ready-to-eat salads off its shelves and just walk out. Amazon’s technology charges customers after they leave.

It said that it’s gathered valuable insights along the way.

For example, its Amazon Go locations served as “innovation hubs” where it developed “just walk out” technology—now a checkout solution operating in more than 360 third-party locations across five countries.

Amazon said it is expanding its “just walk out” technology to Amazon’s own operations, with more than 40 North American fulfillment centers using it in breakrooms, helping employees grab meals without checkout delays. More are planned this year.

Amazon introduced its first Amazon Fresh physical store in 2020. The stores feature an assortment of national brands, produce, meat and seafood.
ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
D’Innocenzio writes about retail, trends, the consumer economy and hourly workers for The Associated Press.

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    1. Comment by Synoptic12.

      Amazon is not what it was in previous years when Jeff and MacKenzie were at the helm. Now, UPS is splitting ways with Amazon for increased profitability in that Amazon is underperforming. Guess who owns the Washington Post: Jeff Bezos.

      • Comment by celticwardog.

        The Amazon Go thing never made sense to me, may as well have called it Amazon Steal.

        • Comment by Snotty.

          I live in a place where it takes me 45 minutes just to get to civilization where I can shop. And that area doesn't get me even 25% of the items I can get from Amazon, which delivers to my door. I don't really care what Bezos does/stands for or how Amazon's model impacts the world/environment, I will continue to use Amazon. I also use Walmart+, but again they don't have the same variety or pricing as Amazon.

          • Reply by zeews.

            You know youre out of your mind when saying 'how dare you eat to live' makes you think you have the moral high ground on someone.

          • Reply by Speedy1966.

            I get what ur saying, I shop at who has the best prices and assortment Amazon fresh usually does, Walmart+ isn’t bad, but as long as I can get organic products a 1-2 dollars cheaper than other stores, I could care less what he does, some people don’t understand we have a family to feed and a weekly budget to get the best nutrition possible. Now if we were blessed to have thousands of dollars a week, we might have a different outlook on things!!

        • Comment by 153JamieV.

          It takes weeks to get something from Amazon, even when using Prime, so I canceled Prime. They're doing this to themselves. The CEO needs to spend less time on the golf course and we shouldn't have to pay for his plane at $35,000 per hour. He should pay for it himself. Same with all his so-called business expenses. Take it out of his pocket, not ours.

          • Reply by danadesert.

            Not quite. For the past two years or more, Amazon often changes one of my ordered products to a later delivery date. Then they delay that. But most stuff, yes, shows up pretty quickly. It does often turn out to be the item I need the most that is delayed and I could have gotten it earlier through another supplier if I knew it was going to take so long. I use the Amazon Day option to reduce deliveries/fuel use on almost every order.

          • Reply by danadesert.

            I agree, except the Prime TV options are worth it.

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