Amazon testing small-format grocery store in Chicago
Amazon is testing a new shopping experience that offers grocery products not sold at its Whole Foods Market stores.
The company has opened a 3,800-sq.-ft. small-format grocery store concept in downtown Chicago, in a building that also houses a Whole Foods Market, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Chain Store Age. The new store, called Amazon Grocery, features a selection of approximately 3,500 products and is located in the One Chicago building.
The new store allow customers to complete quick trips like grocery top-ups, coffee, and grab-and-go meals all during their regular trip to Whole Foods. It also offers national grocery brands or household essentials that are not available at Whole Foods.
“We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for customers to shop for groceries, whether online or in store,” Amazon spokesperson Jessica Martin told CSA in an emailed statement. “With this new concept, customers can shop their favorite natural and organic products at Whole Foods Market and get a broader product assortment from Amazon all in one trip, saving them time and money.”
Micro-Fulfillment Center at Whole Foods
Earlier this month, Amazon said it was building its first-ever automated micro-fulfillment center. Located at the Whole Foods store in Plymouth, Mass., the center is intended to supplement what’s in-store with popular essentials from Amazon.com and favorites from Amazon Fresh — all under one roof. Customers will have three options to shop the combined range of products: order online for fast at-home delivery, order online for quick and easy pick up, or shop in person at the store.
As customers browse the aisles for Whole Foods products, they can also easily place an order for national brands such as Tide Pods and Pepsi from the Amazon app on their phone. The additional items will be prepared in the back-of-house while the customer finishes up shopping, and will be ready to go when they check out.
“With micro fulfillment, customers get access to more products they want without having to visit multiple stores,” Tony Hoggett, senior VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores at Amazon, wrote in a corporate blog.
The service will be ready for customers at the Plymouth Meeting store next year.
