Amazon on the look out for high street space

E-tailing giant Amazon has started looking for physical shop space in central London ahead of a potential launch of its grocery chain Amazon Go in the UK later this year. The format would mirror that of its Seattle shop, where it is testing the checkout-free grocery chain, and is expected to open later this month. Amazon Go uses sensors to record the items that customers have purchased when they are placed in the shopping basket. The cost is then deducted from the customer’s Amazon account. The company registered the Amazon Go trademark in the UK in December last year. Amazon has already made its mark on the UK grocery sector with the launch of Amazon Fresh last year – an online grocery delivery service which offers Prime customers a range of 130,000 fresh and frozen grocery items on a same-day delivery service. It has also positioned itself  as one of the most prominent occupiers in the logistics sector, last year accounting for 23% of all take-up in the UK industrial market, according to Savills. • To send feedback, e-mail amber.rolt@estatesgazette.com or tweet @amberrolt or @estatesgazette