‘We couldn’t make the economics work’: Just Walk Out tech powered Amazon Go stores shuttered in NYC

Amazon has closed three of its Amazon Go locations in New York City.

The leases for these locations were due for renewal and the online retail giant decided that the associated costs were too high. At the same time, however, Amazon Go recently opened a new store in Bellevue, Washington.

"When a lease comes up for renewal, it is standard business practice for retailers to evaluate their store portfolio and decide if it is best to renew or to close the location,” an Amazon spokesperson says.

“In this case, while these three stores were performing well, we couldn't make the economics work with the lease cost, so we've decided not to renew and have closed these locations.”

The aforementioned stores, which featured the Just Walk Out checkout-free solution, were located at 11 West 42nd St., One Liberty and 30 Rockefeller Center.

Amazon Go has 17 stores in operation in the US.

Milestone

Just Walk Out is now available in 200+ stores globally. The technology can be found in locations on the likes of college campuses, and in stadiums, airports, and hospitals.

In a LinkedIn post, Ritu Subash, Head of Professional Services - Just Walk Out Technology, said: "Incredibly proud to lead the team that deployed Just Walk Out at 200+ stores! If you haven't already, experience the magic of JWO at a store near you."

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Checkout free stores are a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.