Another one bites the dust as Amazon opts to shutter Go convenience store in California

Amazon will next month close its Amazon Go convenience store in Woodland Hills, California.

An Amazon spokesperson told RTIH that it’s being shut down after a portfolio assessment. The store is one of Amazon Go’s more spacious suburban formats.

At its peak in 2023, Amazon operated about 30 of these stores across Washington, California, New York and Illinois. But it has shuttered around half of these locations over the past three years.

Amazon Fresh

In the UK, meanwhile, Amazon opened a new Amazon Fresh store in West Hampstead, London during November of last year.

The US online giant launched its first such store in the UK - its first physical retail site outside North America - in Ealing, London in 2021. It reportedly planned to open hundreds of Fresh locations in the UK, but that didn’t happen, with the number now standing at 21, all of which are in London except one in Sevenoaks, Kent.

In July last year, the company announced Ealing was to close, along with two others, in Wandsworth and East Sheen.

Amazon has also been working on an overhaul of its UK stores, with the reopening of its Aldgate location in early 2024. The stores originally launched as checkout-free offerings, powered by Just Walk Out technology. But the focus is now on adding more payment options, such as self-service checkouts.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores were a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering.