Amazon Is Reportedly Planning Physical Grocery Stores

1 minute read
By Alex Fitzpatrick

Retail giant Amazon is planning to build physical grocery stores to complement its online food delivery service, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Seattle-based retail giant is also said to be working on locations where shoppers could pick up food orders previously made online.

Amazon has long offered grocery delivery directly to customers though its Amazon Fresh service. These two new types of retail locations could help Amazon win over customers who prefer to pick their produce in person, or aren’t interested in home-delivered groceries.

The pick-up location concept is similar to the company’s Amazon Locker program, which offers shoppers a secure location to access their online orders.

The Journal’s report comes as Amazon is rolling out physical stores to sell books, Kindle e-readers and similar wares. While Amazon became a nearly $400 billion company on the back of online sales, physical locations like book and convenience stores could offer the company a chance to win over yet more customers.

Look Inside Amazon’s First Physical Store

The exterior of Amazon Books is pictured in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
The exterior of Amazon Books is pictured in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergDavid Ryder—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
A customer shops at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
A customer shops at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergDavid Ryder—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
Customers shop at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
Customers shop at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergDavid Ryder—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
A customer shops at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg
A customer shops at Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: David Ryder/BloombergDavid Ryder—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
Customers shop inside Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg
Customers shop inside Amazon Books in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Seattle's upscale University Village mall. Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergDavid Ryder—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP

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