Amazon opens first physical store in Britain, signals global expansion

Signaling the start of its global expansion, Amazon.com Inc. will open on Thursday its first-ever physical store outside the United States.

Amazon’s first out-of-the-U.S. branch will feature a cashier-less store. It is named, “Amazon fresh” and it is set to start operation in the London Borough of Ealing in Britain. The franchise will carry a private UK food brand and will allow shoppers to skip the checkout line when they shop.

The opening of the cashier-less store in London signals the start of the largest online retailer’s global expansion goal, pushing its principle of establishing physical stores as a way to capture consumers’ high spend on groceries.

In 2017, Amazon.com started its massive campaign for groceries expansion as it acquired the Whole Foods Market chain, complemented with a number of cashier-less convenience stores called Amazon Go, two Seattle-area Amazon Go Grocery stores, and 10 Amazon Fresh supermarkets in California and Illinois.

The London site will sell prepared meals, some groceries, and Amazon devices, including a counter dedicated to accommodating pick-up and for-return online orders.