The company will convert its physical shops to Whole Foods Markets. The move is not surprising, since the company reduced its Amazon Fresh offering last year. Amazon closed several shops in California and all 19 Amazon Fresh shops in the UK.
What can we say? Since 2017, the date when Amazon bought Whole Foods, the company had its sights set on a possible conversion in the shops that were born in Austin (Texas), but chose to experiment with technology and, in my opinion, uninteresting. Customers are interested in a few things: prices, quality and service, as well as a pleasant environment and friendly staff. Here – in the various Amazon experiments – there was a cold atmosphere, where the quality of private-label food counted for little or nothing.
Obviously this will have an impact on employment: 16,000 people will be laid off.
Edited 27 January, updated 29 January 2026
