E-commerce giant Amazon.com has revealed plans to open a new supermarket brand after posting job listings for “Amazon’s first grocery store” in LA.
An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the listings to Bloomberg and that the store will open in 2020. The company, which bought Whole Foods for US$13.7 billion, will offer a different experience through the new supermarket brand and will feature a traditional checkout line as opposed to the cashless offering AmazonGo is known for.
“The reason Amazon needs to expand its physical footprint is an accelerated demand for grocery pickup service as opposed to delivery. Shoppers have a greater sense of control when they pick up their groceries at the store in a secure location rather than worrying about it being left at their house,” David Bishop, a partner at research firm Brick Meets Click told Bloomberg.
Amazon’s sales from physical stores dropped 1.3 per cent from a year earlier to US$4.19 billion in the third quarter.
