Reports: Amazon to Open up to 3,000 Cashierless Amazon Go Stores by 2021
SEATTLE, WA - Amazon Go’s first eastern U.S. location opened in Chicago this week, wowing shoppers with its cashier-less format. Now, sources close to the matter are suggesting that the premier U.S. online retailer could be accelerating its Amazon Go growth by leaps and bounds; the company is reportedly considering a plan to open as many as 3,000 Amazon Go stores the next three years.
Bloomberg broke the news this Wednesday, noting that Amazon’s expansion would be aggressive and undoubtedly costly—and noted that the move could be disruptive for grocers, convenience chains, and quick-serve restaurants.
“Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos sees eliminating meal-time logjams in busy cities as the best way for Amazon to reinvent the brick-and-mortar shopping experience, where most spending still occurs,” Bloomberg reported. “But he’s still experimenting with the best format: a convenience store that sells fresh prepared foods as well as a limited grocery selection similar to 7-Eleven franchises, or a place to simply pick up a quick bite to eat for people in a rush, similar to the U.K.-based chain Pret a Manger…”
Amazon declined to comment on the potential expansion to the news source.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Amazon’s brick-and-mortar plan involves a kind of exponential growth over the next three years—with roughly 10 locations opening by the end of this year, another 50 in major metropolitan areas following next year, and the balance of that 3,000 store number opening by the end of 2021.
Will Amazon implement this plan, growing its brick-and-mortar grocery presence exponentially in just a few years? AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you updates.