- Has your Amazon Fresh service been discontinued? Email: Ruth.Stainer@mailonline.co.uk
Amazon has shut down another 'contactless' grocery store due to declining interest in the novel 'Just Walk Out' technology. Walk Out ’ technology.
The Richmond Amazon Fresh outlet was the tech giant’s tenth store in the UK, which commenced operations slightly more than three years ago, in December 2021.
The one that was initially released was London In March 2021, at 's Ealing Broadway, the distinctive shopping concept aimed to provide customers with a 'new convenient grocery format'.
When customers enter the store, they scan a smartphone application which ensures that they are charged automatically when they exit with their purchases, eliminating the need for a conventional scanning check-out process.
The cutting-edge stores employ 'Just Walk Out' camera sensor technology, capable of monitoring items purchased as customers move through the grocery store.
The early attraction of the new technology led to reports that Amazon was apparently planning to launch numerous outlets throughout the UK .
However, interest soon waned, leading to the closure of Fresh outlets in Ealing, Wandsworth, and East Sheen in 2023. The latestFreshstore openedinWestHampsteadinNovember2024.
Currently, with the closing of the e-commerce leader's location in Richmond, the total count of Amazon Fresh stores in the UK now stands at only 19 nationwide.
When the flagship Ealing store closed, Amazon stated that this decision was reached after an evaluation of their 'range of stores.' However, they emphasized that this doesn't imply stagnation, as the company continues to be dedicated to expanding its presence in the grocery sector.
Nevertheless, retail analysts informed MailOnline earlier that Amazon was "facing challenges in expanding their presence offline," with another suggesting they anticipated further store closures within the "near future."
Jonathon De Mello, the founder and CEO of JDM Retail and an authority on retail and retail properties, informed MailOnline in July 2023 that he was not surprised by the closure of Amazon Fresh stores and predicted that more would shut down in the coming months.
Dr. Mello thought that a mix of 'inadequate location planning' and 'underestimating the power of the local market' contributed to why Amazon was unable to stay operational.
In the meantime, Robert Carruthers, who serves as the director of research at ConsumerCast—a retail and consumer analysis firm—commented that Amazon has 'historically faced challenges when dealing with brick-and-mortar establishments.'
Mr. Carruthers additionally thought that the 'intrusive' camera monitoring in their shops, along with higher costs, might have deterred customers from coming back to this distinctive grocery store.
Privacy advocacy organizations such as Big Brother Watch have also voiced concerns about the technologies employed in retail outlets, stating that many aspects remain unclear or unexplained.
Jake Hurfurt, who leads research and investigations at the organization, stated to MailOnline in 2023: "Amazon Fresh" provides clients with an all-encompassing surveillance shopping encounter that is now being replicated by rival stores. .
Free checkout stores depend heavily on advanced AI-driven monitoring and data analysis to track shoppers, yet it frequently remains unclear how these businesses utilize such gathered details.
Regarding the shutdown of the Richmond location, an Amazon representative stated The Grocer :' Certain store locations prove more effective than others, and following an evaluation of our offerings, we've decided to shut down our Amazon Fresh location in Richmond.'
'Customers in the region can Continue shopping for a broad range of groceries at Amazon.co.uk/grocery using same-day delivery services, or choose from various items available at our other Amazon Fresh locations throughout London.
'We stay dedicated to Amazon Fresh and will keep moving forward with it.' streamline our collection of stores As we discover which places and characteristics appeal most to our customers.
In 2021, Amazon It offered its cashless technology to other supermarket chains, with Sainsbury’s launching a 'contactless' grocery outlet at their Holborn Circus location.
Nevertheless, only a few weeks ago, it declared that the store would be discontinuing the cashless method in favor of adopting a conventional checkout process.
In the meantime, while major supermarkets like Tesco and Aldi have adoptedcheckout-free grocery stores, some have transitioned to what are known as 'hybrid models.' include both self-checkout stations, along with traditional checkout options .
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