Following the recent news that Amazon Fresh will close 14 locations across Europe and convert five others into Whole Foods Markets, the company has now announced the closure of four additional stores in Southern California.
As part of its routine performance reviews, Amazon has evaluated the profitability of its retail portfolio and decided to close underperforming stores to strengthen its overall operations. The latest closures include the Amazon Fresh locations in La Verne, Mission Viejo, La Habra, and Whittier. Amazon is working with affected employees to identify new opportunities within the company wherever possible.
Despite these closures, Amazon continues to expand its grocery presence. New Amazon Fresh stores recently opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Silver Spring, Maryland. Currently, Amazon Fresh operates 64 stores across nine states, with the majority located in California. The stores feature Amazon’s Dash Cart technology, though—unlike the smaller-format Amazon Go stores—they do not yet include the “Just Walk Out” checkout experience.
Meanwhile, Whole Foods Market continues to grow nationwide, alongside its new, smaller-format concept, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. Amazon recently announced the upcoming opening of the first Daily Shop location in Arlington, Virginia, just outside New York City.
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