Online retailer Amazon wants to open 20 grocery stores over the next two years and believes the U.S. market has room for up to 2,000 of the Amazon Fresh-branded stores in the next decade. Business Insider reports Amazon is planning to operate a 20-location pilot program for its grocery stores by the end of 2018, in places like Seattle, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company wants to experiment with different versions of stores during the pilot program. Ten of the grocery stores will be “click-and-collect” drive-up spots for Amazon customers to pick up their online orders. The other ten will be traditional stores allowing shoppers to stroll the aisles. While the business plans could change, physical stores are becoming increasingly central to Amazon’s business ambitions. Amazon has studied the move for years and if the pilot program is successful could start opening 200 stores a year.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.