Amazon Fresh Opens in Competitive Arlington, Va., Market

Amazon Fresh has opened its doors to a previously announced store at 1550 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Va. The approximately 16,000-square-foot Amazon Fresh location offers Just Walk Out checkout-free shopping as well as Amazon One pay-by-palm technology and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The new store, the third of three Amazon Fresh locations opening in Northern Virginia this summer, will carry 365 by Whole Foods Market organics as well as Amazon-exclusive brands like Aplenty and Cursive. Fresh-baked bread, made-to-order pizzas, rotisserie chickens and hot brisket panini sandwiches will be on offer, too, along with a wide selection of national grocery brands and regional favorites, including Duke’s Mayo, Ellenos Yogurt and Boston Chowda also will be available.

With the Arlington location's opening, Amazon Fresh's Virginia store count stands at five; other Amazon Fresh locations in the state are in Franconia, Fairfax, Manassas (open as of June 9) and Lorton (open as of June 23). The fast-growing chain touted that it's creating hundreds of jobs in Arlington with a starting wage of $15.50 per hour. 

In Arlington, Amazon Fresh moves into a competitive grocery market that has seen Landover, Maryland-based Giant Food surging in the past year, according to data provided to WGB by Commerce Signals, while Kroger-owned Harris Teeter holds the largest market share (27.7%) overall. Amazon-owned Whole Foods saw its market share in the area nudge up 1.3% to 18.7% in the past 12 months, according to Commerce Signals.