UNITED KINGDOM - Could the stoops of London soon be decorated with the bright green bags of AmazonFresh?
The chain has taken over a warehouse located in Weybridge, Surrey, according to The Guardian, that was previously leased by Tesco and could potentially serve as a Fresh facility. While this will mark Amazon’s 15th site in the UK, it would be the first for its grocery delivery service.
The location has definitely been leased by Amazon and could serve as its first Fresh location to that market, but the company itself declined to confirm that this is, in fact, the plan. When asked to comment, according to the report, the chain referred to these particular details as “rumor and speculation.”
The online retailer just launched its Prime Now, which promises one hour delivery for over 20,000 items, in London at the end of June, showing a key focus on the international market.
As we previously reported, Britain is already seeing a shift on the grocery retail circuit as chains that promote lower prices like Aldi and Lidl continue to grow in popularity. This launch, The Guardian reported, could apply more pressure to the already fragmented market.
“Amazon Fresh has the potential to revolutionise grocery shopping in Britain,” Graham Ruddick, Senior Business Reporter for The Guardian, writes. “In California, shoppers use it to buy food from local shops and restaurants, while a wireless device called Amazon Dash monitors when users run out of household essentials and orders replacements.”
While the warehouse facility itself is 300,000 square feet, a size similar to its other AmazonFresh facilities, all that the chain confirmed was that it will employ 20 people directly at the site in Brooklands business park, as well as four independent delivery companies that will hire 140 drivers to work from the station.
AndNowUKnow will keep you up to date on this story as it develops.
