Amazon Fresh store closures continue: 4 Southern California locations shutter amid strategy shift

E-commerce giant Amazon is closing four more Fresh stores, this time in Southern California, specifically in the cities of La Verne, Mission Viejo, La Habra, and Whittier.

As reported by CNBC, the announcement is the latest move in the company's grocery strategy, which has shifted its focus to Whole Foods stores and delivery services. 

In recent months, the marketplace has closed locations in Washington, Virginia, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as 14 others in the UK. The company announced at the end of September that the five remaining British stores will be converted into Whole Foods markets.   

“Certain locations work better than others, and after an assessment, we’ve made the decision to close these Amazon Fresh locations,” Amazon spokesperson Griffin Buch said to CNBC in a statement.

The company also told the news outlet that it's continuously assessing its brick-and-mortar portfolio, a process that can lead to dynamic periods with stores opening and closing in different locations. At the moment, there are only 60 Amazon Fresh stores left in the US. 

A rocky start for Amazon Fresh stores

Amazon Fresh stores have been a rather unstable piece of the e-commerce giant's grocery strategy, which began with the launch of the Amazon Fresh delivery service in 2007 and continued with the $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market in 2017. In 2022, several Amazon Fresh locations opened, but only a year later, the project stalled due to budget cuts within the company.

Amazon's bet on delivery has been notorious this past year. In the summer, the company expanded its Amazon Fresh Delivery service to 2,300 new US cities and recently launched Amazon Grocery, a new price-conscious food product line that includes pantry staples, dairy, and produce.  

Related stories

Amazon Grocery, the e-commerce's new private food label has 1,000+ products

Amazon's fresh produce delivery to hit 2,300 new U.S. cities

Amazon deepens Whole Foods integration in grocery reorganization - reports