AMAZON is set to close several stores within days as it gears up to open two new locations.
The e-commerce giant is pulling down the shutters for good on its Ealing, Wandsworth and East Sheen branches on July 23.
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Staff at the London-based sites have all been offered new roles in nearby Amazon Fresh stores.
The company said it will open new Fresh stores in Moorgate and Liverpool Street, London, but did not confirm exactly when.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “Like any physical retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimisation decisions along the way.
“While we decided to close three Amazon Fresh stores, it doesn’t mean we won’t grow — this year, we will open new Amazon Fresh stores to better serve customers in the greater London area.
“We are committed to our investment in grocery, and as we grow we’ll continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers.”
The Ealing store, which opened in March 2021, was Amazon’s first UK grocery store and spans 2,500sq ft.
The East Sheen branch opened in November the same year, and Wandsworth the following month.
The three Fresh stores shutting in just a few days time are not the first Amazon has closed.
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In January, it pulled down the shutters on its Dalston Fresh store, less than 18 months after it launched.
The latest closures and new openings will take Amazon’s Fresh store count in the UK to 17.
All of the branches are in London, bar one in Sevenoaks, Kent.
It comes after Amazon announced plans to shut three UK warehouses, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.
In January, the group said a number of roles needed to be axed, with sites in Hemel Hempstead, Doncaster and Gourock, in the west of Scotland, all proposed for closure.
What other retailers are closing stores?
It’s not just Amazon which is closing branches in the UK – a number of retailers are shutting stores.
The high street has been hit hard in recent years as shoppers turn their attentions to online retail.
The trend was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw households locked down and with limited access to physical shops.
That, combined with recent high energy and wage costs, has seen a number of retailers forced into closing stores.
A number have rearranged their estates too, shutting some branches while opening others in different locations.
Superdry has started closing eight of its 104 stores across the UK.
Meanwhile, New Look is bringing the shutters down on more of its shops in July and August.
The retailer is closing its stores in Rhyl, Wales, and Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Bristol.
However, it did open several new shops across the UK in November last year.
Argos has already closed 37 of its stores this year and more are planned for August.
We have revealed the full list of shops closing down this summer.
In other Amazon news, The Sun revealed shoppers were only just realising there’s an easy way to get free cash through the e-commerce company.
Meanwhile, a woman revealed how she makes up to £200 an hour with an easy Amazon side hustle.
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