US retail giant Amazon will close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical grocery outlets in the US as it sharpens its focus on same-day delivery and expanding Whole Foods Market.
The company said it already provides online grocery delivery in more than 5,000 American locations, many supported by same-day delivery, which combines fresh food with other purchases.
It intends to extend this service to additional communities in 2026.
Acquired by Amazon in 2017, Whole Foods Market is set to open more than 100 new sites over the coming years, including further launches of the smaller Daily Shop format.
Five Daily Shop stores currently trade, with another five scheduled to open by the end of this year.
During 2025, the group broadened its same-day delivery service to cover produce, dairy, meat, bakery and frozen goods.
It has also been trialling Amazon Now, an ultra-fast service offering thousands of essential products, including fresh items, in about 30 minutes in selected markets.
Whole Foods now operates more than 550 locations, and Amazon said sales have risen more than 40% since the acquisition, with comparable-store growth outpacing the wider grocery industry.
In its statement, the retailer said: “After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we've made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores. Customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for fast and convenient delivery.”
Following a strategic review, Amazon said it would close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores because it had not “yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion”.
Several locations will be converted into Whole Foods outlets, while Amazon Fresh will remain available online in certain areas.
Staff affected by the closures will be considered for redeployment elsewhere within the group.
The retailer also highlighted progress with its Just Walk Out checkout-free system, originally developed for Amazon Go and now operating in more than 360 third-party venues across five countries.
The technology is being introduced across Amazon’s own facilities, including more than 40 North American fulfilment centres, with additional rollouts planned for 2026.
