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Amazon Fresh opens New Jersey store
The fledgling brick-and-mortar chain now has 41 U.S. locations
2 Min Read
Amazon Fresh
It’s been almost a year since Amazon gave two of its brick-and-mortar Amazon Fresh stores in suburban Chicago a facelift.
The August 2023 redesign of the stores in Schaumburg and Oak Lawn, Ill., which introduced a variety of elements that mimicked the style of its sister banner Whole Foods Market, was followed by the remodel of three locations in Los Angeles in November.
Following the stalled opening of dozens of Amazon Fresh locations in 2023, and subsequent lawsuits, it appeared the online retail giant had reset its effort to open physical locations.
However, little has been heard about new stores until June 20, when local news organizations in New Jersey began reporting the opening of a 35,000-square-foot Amazon Fresh location in the Garden State city of Eatontown.
"The Amazon Fresh store in Eatontown features the company's latest brick-and-mortar design unveiled last year in Chicago and Southern California. Customers can expect to find a wide selection of national brands, high-quality produce and protein, as well as Amazon’s private label brands like Aplenty, Fresh Brand, and 365 by Whole Foods Market ..." Amazon said in a press release shared with Supermarket News.
Online news organization Patch.com reported that the new store is New Jersey’s second Amazon Fresh location — the other is in the town of Paramus.
“We're thrilled to open our newest Amazon Fresh grocery store right here in the heart of Monmouth County,” Amazon Fresh regional manager Lionel Triplett said in the press release. “This opening invites Eatontown customers to experience grocery shopping with Amazon Fresh, both in-store and online.”
The store has been two years in the making, according to local press, which noted that Amazon first announced it was opening up shop in Eatontown in June 2022.
While the brick-and-mortar stores have appeared to be on hold for most of the year, Amazon did make a move in early April with the announcement that it was discontinuing its use of “Just Walk Out” technology in its own stores.
The company said it was instead focusing on its AI-powered smart carts, known as Dash Carts.
“To deliver a better shopping experience, we brought an expanded selection, low prices on even more grocery items, and greater convenience with updated checkout options to redesigned stores, and we’re pleased to see those changes resonating with customers. As part of those updates, we’re removing Just Walk Out technology in favor of Amazon Dash Cart, our smart shopping cart,” the company said in April.
In mid-July, Amazon unveiled an upgraded version of the Dash Cart that has more than double the holding capacity and allows shoppers to log in through a QR code with the Whole Foods Market app, in addition to other functions.
Amazon Fresh confirmed in an email that it currently has 42 U.S. locations in California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington state.
