Amazon shutters bookshops and 4-star stores

Amazon is to close all 68 of its physical bookstores and 4-star shops in the UK and US. The online retailer said this did not mean it was turning its back on bricks and mortar. “We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies,” it said, but added that it would now “focus more on our Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go and Amazon Style stores, and our ‘Just Walk Out’ technology”. Amazon opened its first physical bookstore in 2015 in Seattle. Its 4-star stores, including ones in Westfield London and Bluewater in Kent, only stock products – from toys to candles – with high customer reviews. The company wanted to bring its online prowess to the high street. Both its bookstores and 4-star shops would analyse the shopping habits of its millions of customers and display the most popular titles and products. However, despite the innovation, revenue from its physical stores has regularly failed to keep up with the growth elsewhere in the business. The Times (£)