# Amazon to close its UK Fresh stores as grocery strategy shifts online
Amazon plans to close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the United Kingdom, marking a retreat from the till-free retail format it launched only a few years ago, according to the BBC.
The company said five of the sites would be converted into Whole Foods stores, another grocery brand it owns. It also said it would focus more heavily on online grocery delivery through partners such as Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland and Gopuff. The move suggests Amazon sees more value in logistics, fulfilment and digital convenience than in operating a broad network of physical grocery shops.
The closure plan comes after Amazon had already reduced the scale of the experiment. It opened its first UK grocery store in 2021 and had shut three Fresh stores in London in 2023. The BBC said the remaining network was concentrated almost entirely in London, showing how limited the model’s reach had become before the latest decision.
The rationale offered by Amazon was blunt: a difficult decision after a thorough evaluation of business operations and the substantial growth opportunities in online delivery. That wording matters because it indicates the company is not abandoning groceries altogether. Instead, it is choosing the part of the market where it believes it has a clearer advantage.
The change also carries labour consequences. Amazon said about 250 staff worked at the stores and that it would begin a consultation process on the closures. It said it would offer redeployment opportunities where possible. The GMB union criticised the company’s treatment of workers, saying that the way Amazon hires and fires staff speaks volumes about its ethics.
Industry analysts quoted by the BBC were sceptical that the Fresh format had established a strong consumer proposition. One analyst said grocery retail is fiercely competitive and that Amazon Fresh may not have found the right locations or a differentiated enough offer to succeed. Another noted that the till-less technology always felt awkward and that Amazon’s real strength lies in convenience delivery.
The company’s shift also fits a pattern of rapid experimentation and reversal. The BBC noted that Amazon had previously ended a robotics venture after only nine months. In grocery, as in other parts of its business, Amazon appears willing to pull back quickly if a format does not generate the scale or advantage it expected.
For shoppers, the practical result is fewer Amazon-branded places to walk into and more emphasis on delivery and partner channels. For the wider UK grocery market, the decision shows how even a giant technology company can struggle to make physical food retail work against established supermarket competition and changing consumer habits.
