Amazon announces closure of fresh grocery stores amid renewed focus on online delivery

Amazon has decided to close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores while doubling down on investments in online grocery to reach more customers.

The Seattle-based online retailer, which currently operates 57 Amazon Fresh stores and 15 Amazon Go stores, announced that it plans to convert some of them to Whole Foods Market locations.

In a blog post on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Amazon said that it was testing an ultra fast delivery option, Amazon Now, targeting a delivery time of 30 minutes or less for essential items including fresh food to customers’ doorstep.

The retail giant has Whole Foods stores at around 550 locations across the United States and it has now announced to open a 100 more in the next few years, five to open by the end of 2026.

Announcing the closure, the company said, “We have made the difficult decision in the best interest of our customers after careful evaluation of the business.”

It added that the workers in the soon-to-be shuttered stores would be reassigned to roles elsewhere within Amazon, including across the vast operations network.

Amazon is one of the top three grocers in the United States (U.S.), with around 1.5 million customers shopping each year. Over the past two decades, the grocery giant has accumulated more than $150 billion in gross sales.