Amazon has closed its Richmond Fresh store a little over three years since it launched.
The store – powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology – was the e-commerce giant’s 10th UK Fresh store when it opened in December 2021.
The closure of the store – on The Quadrant, adjacent to Richmond Station – takes Amazon’s UK grocery store count down to 19.
“Certain store locations work better than others, and after an assessment of our offering we’ve decided to close our Amazon Fresh store in Richmond,” an Amazon spokeswoman told The Grocer.
“Customers in the area can continue to shop from a wide selection of grocery products at Amazon.co.uk with same-day delivery options, or from our other Amazon Fresh stores across London.”
The company launched its first Amazon Fresh store in the UK – which was its first physical retail site outside North America – in Ealing in 2021. It offered customers a “new convenience grocery format” Amazon said at the time, and the first opportunity for Brits to use its Just Walk Out technology. It reportedly planned to open hundreds of Fresh stores in the UK, but the rollout has slowed significantly.
Three Fresh stores, in Ealing, Wandsworth and East Sheen, shuttered in 2023. Late last year, Amazon opened a new store in West Hampstead, a year since its last store launch in the UK.
“We remain committed to Amazon Fresh, and will continue to refine our portfolio of stores as we learn which locations and features resonate most with customers,” the spokeswoman added.
Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s – Just Walk Out’s first international customer – pulled the plug on its sole store in London.
Sainsbury’s launched the checkout-free store – located close to the supermarket’s London head office – in November 2021.
“We continue to work with Amazon across a range of projects and we are looking at how we can use technology to make shopping with us even simpler and more convenient in the future,” a Sainsbury’s spokeswoman confirmed to The Grocer.
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