Amazon has shuttered its first till-less store in the UK, which opened in west London just over two years ago.
The Amazon Fresh store in Ealing Broadway opened back March 2021 to much fanfare, despite the Covid lockdown at the time, and was the online giant’s first “just walk out” grocery store outside of the US.
It permanently shuttered this weekend along with two other Amazon Fresh stores, in Wandsworth and East Sheen.
Amazon said they were closed after an assessment of its “portfolio of stores”, but said new outlets were planned.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
Speaking about the closures, Amazon told the BBC: “Like any physical retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimisation decisions along the way.
“While we decided to close three Amazon Fresh stores, it doesn’t mean we won’t grow – this year, we will open new Amazon Fresh stores to better serve customers in the greater London area.”
It added it was “committed to our investment in grocery and, as we grow, we’ll continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers”.
Following Amazon’s opening, back in 2021 Tesco opened its own “just walk out” store to compete with the tech giant, giving customers the chance to buy groceries without having to scan items or visit a till.
The supermarket’s GetGo store opened in Holborn, central London, and followed a small trial of a similar store at Tesco head office in Welwyn Garden City.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
