Amazon to open department stores
Amazon is planning to open several department stores in the US, as the online giant takes a bigger step towards bricks and mortar.
Amazon will open shops of around 30,000 sq ft in Ohio and California, with plans to expand into other territories.
Although the stores are around a third of the size of traditional department stores, the move marks a considerable commitment to physical space from the e-tailer.
Amazon is planning to open several department stores in the US, as the online giant takes a bigger step towards bricks and mortar.
Amazon will open shops of around 30,000 sq ft in Ohio and California, with plans to expand into other territories.
Although the stores are around a third of the size of traditional department stores, the move marks a considerable commitment to physical space from the e-tailer.
Amazon’s department stores are expected to feature its own private-label fashion brands, its own furniture, batteries and electronic devices, as well as some of its most popular local marketplace brands.
The department store concept follows Amazon’s move into physical retailing after opening bookstores in Seattle in 2015, its $13.4bn acquisition of grocer Whole Foods and the launch of cashierless stores, known as Amazon Go in the US and Amazon Fresh in the UK.
It now operates in nearly 100 locations in the US under different brands, including 31 4-Star shops, which feature only products rated four stars or higher by customers. Amazon opened its first till-free grocery shop in the UK in March in Ealing, west London, and now has five dotted around the capital.
Last month, Amazon poached Tesco stalwart Tony Hoggett to run its global physical store network.
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