Amazon Closing All Bookstores, Shops to Focus on Grocery Sector
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Amazon.com Inc. is closing all of its physical bookstores, “Amazon 4-Star” locations and mall pop-up kiosks as the world’s largest online retailer narrows its brick-and-mortar push to the grocery sector.
“We’ve decided to close our Amazon 4-star, Books, and Pop-Up stores and focus more on our Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go, and Amazon Style stores and our Just Walk Out technology,” the company said March 2 in an emailed statement. “We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies, and we’re working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon.”
Amazon has 24 bookstores, 33 Amazon 4-Stars and nine mall pop-up kiosks. The company had plans to open another 16 4-Stars locations. Whole Foods Market is the company’s biggest physical presence, with some 450 locations, and Amazon has been opening its own separate grocery stores. The company also operates a number of cashierless Amazon Go convenience stores.
Amazon.com Inc. ranks No. 22 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
Reuters reported the closures earlier.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
