Amazon Fresh: news as global retailer to close all UK stores with 250 jobs at risk - full list of locations

Customers carry their purchases as they leave the UK's first branch of Amazon Fresh in the Ealing area of London. Amazon will close all 19 UK Fresh grocery stores, putting around 250 jobs at risk (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)placeholder image
Customers carry their purchases as they leave the UK's first branch of Amazon Fresh in the Ealing area of London. Amazon will close all 19 UK Fresh grocery stores, putting around 250 jobs at risk (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The retailer is closing its stores but doubling down on online grocery shopping 🛒

  • Amazon is planning close all 19 UK Fresh grocery stores, putting around 250 jobs at risk
  • Five stores will be converted to Whole Foods, expanding the brand to 12 UK locations
  • The closures are part of a wider shift towards online grocery shopping and partnerships
  • Fresh groceries like dairy, meat, and seafood will be added to Amazon.co.uk next year.
  • Prime members will gain access to groceries via Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op, and Gopuff

One of the world’s biggest retailers is planning to close all of its grocery stores in the UK, putting around 250 jobs at risk.

Amazon’s move forms part of a broader shake-up of the company’s grocery operations, with a stronger focus on online shopping and the expansion of its Whole Foods brand.

The US-based retailer said it has begun consulting with employees at all 19 of its Fresh stores about the proposed closures.

While not all staff are expected to be affected, Amazon plans to offer new roles within the company wherever possible.

Amazon first launched its Fresh brand in 2021, opening a till-less store in Ealing. The concept allowed shoppers to enter via an app, pick up groceries, and leave without visiting a checkout.

Cameras and other technology automatically tracked purchases and billed customers through the app. But the chain struggled to grow as quickly as planned, with footfall declining once pandemic restrictions eased.

Customers carry their purchases as they leave the UK's first branch of Amazon Fresh in the Ealing area of London. Amazon will close all 19 UK Fresh grocery stores, putting around 250 jobs at risk (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)placeholder image
Customers carry their purchases as they leave the UK's first branch of Amazon Fresh in the Ealing area of London. Amazon will close all 19 UK Fresh grocery stores, putting around 250 jobs at risk (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Which Amazon Fresh stores are closing?

Amazon is planning to close all of its 19 of its Fresh grocery stores. The affected locations are as follows:

  • Aldgate, Greater London
  • Angel, Greater London
  • Chingford, Greater London
  • East Croydon, Greater London
  • Euston, Greater London
  • Holborn, Greater London
  • Hounslow, Greater London
  • Hoxton, Greater London
  • Kensington, Greater London
  • Liverpool Street, Greater London
  • Moorgate, Greater London
  • Monument, Greater London
  • Notting Hill Gate, Greater London
  • Sevenoaks, Kent
  • Southwark, Greater London
  • Wembley, Greater London
  • West Hampstead, Greater London
  • White City, Greater London
  • Wood Wharf, Greater London

As part of the latest proposals, Amazon intends to convert five of the 19 Fresh stores into Whole Foods locations.

The company said these conversions, along with two planned new Whole Foods sites, would expand the brand to 12 UK stores by the end of next year.

Whole Foods is known for its organic produce and premium grocery range, and Amazon hopes this shift will better meet customer demand.

The company is also investing heavily in its online grocery operations. From next year, Amazon.co.uk will sell fresh groceries including dairy, meat, and seafood.

The retailer also plans to double the number of Prime members who can access groceries through Amazon’s partnerships with Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op, and Gopuff.

John Boumphrey, Amazon UK country manager, said: “Since 2008, we’ve worked hard to innovate to help our customers save time and money when shopping for groceries and household essentials.

“We continue to invent and invest to bring more choice and convenience to UK customers, enabling them to shop for a wide range of everyday essentials and groceries with low prices and fast delivery.”

For shoppers, the closure of Fresh stores would mark the end of a unique grocery experience in the UK, with its innovative, checkout-free shopping model.

“For staff, the next few months will be uncertain, although Amazon’s consultation process aims to minimise redundancies.

Despite the planned closures, Amazon insists it remains “deeply invested” in the UK market, with its focus shifting to online convenience and the growth of Whole Foods.

The retailer’s wider grocery strategy highlights the ongoing transformation of how consumers buy food, blending digital convenience with a curated in-store experience.

While the Fresh brand may disappear, the changes signal that Amazon is doubling down on what it sees as the future of UK grocery shopping: faster online deliveries, partnerships with established retailers, and a more premium, organic-focused in-store offering through Whole Foods.

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