U.S.: Amazon confirms plans for new grocery store
Amazon on Monday said it plans to open its first new brand of grocery store in California next year, as it amps up its ambitious push to become a bigger name in food.
"Amazon is opening a grocery store in Woodland Hills in 2020," an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to CNET on Monday morning, soon after the company published four new jobs postings for the location. Woodland Hills is a neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The store will be different from Amazon-owned Whole Foods, the company reportedly said. It didn't say whether it will open more of these locations or what the brand name is.
But in the jobs postings, the company described the Woodland Hills location as "Amazon's first grocery store". This suggests that it will have the Amazon brand name and that the company could expand to multiple sites.
The store won't use the company's Amazon Go technology, which allows customers to check out without waiting in line. Instead, checkout will be conventional as at other grocery stores, the company said.
Amazon bought Whole Foods, which has over 500 stores, for US$13.2 billion in 2017. The internet giant also offers grocery delivery through Amazon Fresh, Prime Now, as well as food at Amazon Go.
The Wall Street Journal in March wrote about the existence of Amazon's new grocery store format, which the company hadn't confirmed until Monday. Last month, the publication said Amazon was already working on additional stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.
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