Amazon.com announced Tuesday it will close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh UK convenience stores, less than five years after entering the British grocery market. Five of the locations will be converted into Whole Foods Market outlets, the U.S. organic grocery chain Amazon acquired in 2017.
Amazon Fresh had introduced Britain to its “Just Walk Out” technology, allowing shoppers to pick up items and skip checkout lines. But the company said after evaluating the business, it made the “difficult decision” to exit physical convenience grocery in the UK, citing greater growth opportunities in online delivery.
The company stressed it continues to see strong demand for groceries through:
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Amazon.co.uk (household essentials and groceries)
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Amazon Fresh online
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Whole Foods Market
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Delivery partnerships with Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland, and Gopuff
Looking ahead, Amazon plans to add perishable groceries with same-day delivery to its UK online store starting next year, expanding beyond its current essentials offering.
The move underscores Amazon’s pivot away from physical retail in the UK grocery sector toward leveraging its dominant e-commerce and delivery infrastructure.