Amazon is closing every Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go store to focus on a major Whole Foods e

January 28, 2026

Amazon is shutting down all 72 of its Amazon-branded grocery stores, including Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go.

According to the company, it will convert some of those locations into Whole Foods Market-branded stores.

“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company said in a statement announcing the closings.

The move comes as the company shifts away from its brick-and-mortar retail efforts.

Here’s why the e-commerce retailer is closing stores, how it will affect employees and where and when the store closings will take place.

Why is Amazon closing so many stores?

The retailer is shifting away from its branded grocery stores, and the company says it will stock more produce and perishables at its 550 Whole Foods stores and same-day Amazon delivery warehouses.

But the real reason for the closing might be that the stores just weren’t profitable.

“The main reason behind the decision is that neither Fresh nor Go stores were delivering the sales needed to make them fully economic,” Neil Saunders, a retail analyst with GlobalData, told Bloomberg News. “Nor were they producing growth trajectories that might convincingly reverse that position.”

Will Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go employees’ jobs be affected?

Thousands of hourly workers will likely lose their jobs, although the company said it would help displaced employees find other jobs within Amazon.

According to Bloomberg News, Amazon’s corporate workforce is bracing for layoffs this week.

How many Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores will close and when?

Amazon has 14 Amazon Go stores that are equipped with cameras to track what people take off of store shelves.

Amazon also has 58 Amazon Fresh stores, according to its website.

Four of those Amazon Fresh stores are located in New Jersey in Eatontown, Lodi, Paramus and Woodland Park, according to Amazon’s website.

In total, Amazon will be closing 72 of its branded grocery stores.

A spokesperson told Bloomberg News that the last day of operation for most stores will be on Sunday, except for California locations that will stay open longer to stay within state regulations requiring advance notice of closures.

 

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