Amazon Fresh Closing IL Stores, Some Could Become Whole Foods Markets

Amazon said Tuesday it is closing its Fresh and cashierless Go stores in Illinois and nationwide, although Amazon Fresh will continue to exist as an online brand.

Stores in Illinois are found in:

• Arlington Heights
• Bloomingdale
• Morton Grove
• Naperville
• Naperville - Ogden
• Norridge
• North Riverside
• Oak Lawn
• Schaumburg
• Tinley Park

“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company said in a statement.

Some closed Fresh and Go stores will be converted to Whole Foods Markets, the company said. It plans to open 100 new stores over the next few years.

| READ: Amazon Gets Green Light For Massive Retail Development In Orland Park |

Amazon launched its grocery business two decades ago and acquired Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion. The company said its grocery business accounts for more than $150 billion in gross sales annually.

Earlier this month, Amazon got the go-ahead to build a massive, 230,000-sq. ft. retail store on 35 acres in Orland Park. Touted by Amazon representatives as "the first of its kind," the development at 159th Street and LaGrange Road will function as a large-format retail location offering a wide range of products, including groceries and general merchandise, with accessory services and potential prepared-food options. Plans also include multiple commercial outlots, officials said.

During a meeting of Orland Park's Plan Commission, Attorney Katie Jahnke Dale of DLA Piper represented Amazon and spoke on the plan. The store is designed, representatives said, to offer shopping experiences that enable customers to shop in-person, enhanced by using their phone or an in-store kiosk to purchase items not easily located.

"We like to explain it as: 'It's the best that Amazon has to offer under Whole Foods, Fresh and their online offerings,'" Jahnke Dale said. "So what does that look like? It's a grocery store. But it's purpose-built for what we're seeing: retail customers demand today to provide a very safer experience for customers. As well as a more pleasant customer experience."