Amazon Fresh grows from concept to competitor

With Amazon Fresh, Amazon has stamped its brand on what’s shaping up to be a full-fledged, brick-and-mortar supermarket chain. Still unclear to competing grocery store retailers, however, are the e-tail giant’s ultimate plan for Amazon Fresh and its potential for disruption.

Seattle-based Amazon opened its first Amazon Fresh store in late August 2020, a 35,000-square-foot location in Woodland Hills, Calif. It now has 29 Amazon Fresh supermarkets in six states — California (13 stores), Illinois (seven), Washington (four), Virginia (two), Maryland (one) and Pennsylvania (one) — and Washington, D.C. (one), ranging from about 25,000 to 45,000 square feet. The most recent opening came in late April, a 35,000-square-foot Amazon Fresh in La Verne, Calif. The banner’s 30th location, another 35,000-square-foot store, is slated to open in Murrieta, Calif., on May 5.

According to Jeff Helbling, vice president of Amazon Fresh Stores, new Amazon Fresh locations are planned for California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state and New Jersey, though he didn’t specify the number of units or an opening timetable. Amazon, too, has begun hiring for an upcoming Amazon Fresh in Oceanside, N.Y., which would be the banner’s first location in the Empire State.

“We’re thrilled about the customer response to Amazon Fresh stores. Our efforts to evolve our grocery experience into a seamless, omnichannel offering have been well-received by shoppers and the industry,” Helbling told Supermarket News in an email interview. “Earlier this year, Amazon Fresh was named the fifth-best U.S. grocer on dunnhumby’s Retailer Preference Index — a solid ranking for our first time on the list. And a contributor to Forbes included the opening of our first Amazon Fresh store with Just Walk Out technology as ‘headline of the year’ in his 2021 Retail Award list. We have exciting plans for Amazon Fresh stores this year and in the future.”