Amazon is planning to close its 19 UK grocery stores less than five years after it launched the till-free sites in London.
Amazon said five of the stores earmarked for closure would be converted in to Whole Foods stores, a fresh and whole food brand which Amazon owns.
The company added that it would focus on its online delivery services in the groceries sector, including with its partners Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland, and Gopuff.
Amazon said it has launched a consultation process on its closure proposals.
It began its first closure of the sites in 2023 when it shut down three of its Amazon Fresh stores in London.
Amazon opened its first UK grocery store in Ealing Broadway in March 2021.
Shoppers would walk in to the shops, pick up what they want, walk out and their Amazon account would be billed for the items on their Amazon account, which were identified using technology including in-store cameras.
Amazon said it had “made the difficult decision” after a “thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.”
Amazon UK manager John Boumphrey said the firm would “continue to invent and invest” in the UK.
The firm added that if its Whole Foods expansion plans go ahead, it would have 12 Whole Foods stores in the UK by the end of 2026.
