Amazon will close its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go locations, converting some into Whole Foods Market stores.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, the tech giant said the move reflects a shift in how Americans shop for groceries, with many turning to online delivery.

“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion. After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores,” Amazon said in the post.

“We’re grateful to our team members for their many contributions over the years and are working whenever possible to help them find roles elsewhere in Amazon, including across our vast operations network, as we make this transition,” the company added.

According to The Los Angeles Times, 57 Amazon Fresh stores and 15 Amazon Go locations will close in February 2026.

Despite the closures, Amazon says customers can continue to order groceries online for same-day delivery in many areas — a service that has grown 40x since its launch in January 2025.

Amazon is one of the top three grocers in the U.S., with more than 150 million customers shopping for groceries on the platform each year, per Tuesday’s blog.

Amazon Continues Investing In Physical Stores

Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market in 2017, and the retailer has since seen over 40% sales growth and expanded to more than 550 locations, with plans to open over 100 more in the coming years, notes the blog post.

While its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go locations are closing, the company said it will continue investing in physical stores that resonate with customers. This includes the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, a smaller-format store currently in five locations that offers grab-and-go meals, coffee, and everyday essentials, per the blog post.

Amazon also plans to test new retail experiences, such as Amazon Grocery and a “store within a store” concept, where customers can shop for groceries and household essentials.

“Through it all, our goal remains: to make grocery shopping easier, faster, and more affordable for customers,” Amazon said in its blog.

Amazon Announces Major Layoffs

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, announced on Oct. 28, 2025, that the company was cutting about 14,000 corporate roles.

At the time, Galetti shared in an internal memo that the company was making “organizational changes” to operate more like the world’s largest startup and adjusting to the “transformative technology” of AI.

On Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, Galetti announced plans to cut an additional 16,000 jobs, adding that Amazon will continue hiring and investing in strategic areas critical to the company’s future.

“I’m grateful for how our teams continue to deliver — for customers, for each other, and for the incredible things we’re building together,” Galetti said Wednesday.