Amazon Fresh and Go store closures announced as company shifts focus to Whole Foods and online grocery delivery nationwide
Amazon on Tuesday announced the closure of all 57 Amazon Fresh and 15 Amazon Go stores across the United States, citing a strategic shift to concentrate on Whole Foods Market locations and online grocery delivery.
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The Amazon Fresh and Go store closures mark the end of over a decade of experimentation in brick-and-mortar grocery retail.
Despite “encouraging signals,” the company said it was unable to create a “distinctive customer experience with the right economic model for large-scale expansion.”
Most stores will close by Sunday, February 1, while locations in California will remain open an additional 45 days to comply with state labour notification requirements.
In a company statement, Amazon framed the move as a strategic realignment rather than a withdrawal from groceries.
The announcement highlighted the growth of Whole Foods and same-day delivery of perishable items as the primary focus for the company’s physical and online grocery operations.
Amazon acknowledged the lessons learned from its Fresh and Go stores, noting that employees “pioneered something new” and that insights gained would inform the development of future store concepts.
The closures include 11 Seattle-area locations, notably the original Amazon Go store on 7th Avenue at Amazon’s headquarters, where the “Just Walk Out” technology debuted in 2018.
Some Fresh stores are expected to reopen eventually as new Whole Foods locations, but the company did not disclose the total number of employees affected.
Amazon has pledged 90 days of pay and benefits as part of a severance package and is assisting employees with internal reassignments.
CEO Andy Jassy described the shift as part of a broader operational reset, aimed at streamlining operations and reducing bureaucracy.
Jason Buechel, Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores VP and Whole Foods CEO, praised employees for their work and said the Amazon Fresh brand will continue online.
Amazon has emphasised that the move will not end its physical retail experiments. The company is maintaining a hybrid Amazon grocery store in Chicago and a “store within a store” concept in Pennsylvania.
Its “Just Walk Out” technology will live on as a licensing business, now operating in over 360 third-party locations across five countries.
The decision reflects Amazon’s focus on grocery delivery, which has grown rapidly.
Same-day delivery for perishables is now available in 2,300 U.S. cities and towns, with sales of fresh items increasing 40-fold since January 2025.
Whole Foods remains central to Amazon’s strategy, with sales up more than 40% since its 2017 acquisition.
The company plans to open over 100 additional stores in the coming years, including a 230,000-square-foot supercenter in Orland Park, Illinois, combining groceries with general merchandise, set to open in 2027.
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Amazon reiterated that it remains one of the top three grocers in the U.S., with more than $150 billion in annual sales and 150 million grocery customers, signalling that its physical store closures represent a strategic evolution rather than a retreat from the market.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
