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The basics:

• Amazon plans to close 58 Amazon Fresh supermarkets, 14 Amazon Go convenience stores
• Some locations will convert into Whole Foods Market as part of revamped grocery strategy
• New Jersey Amazon Fresh stores operate in Paramus, Eatontown, Lodi, Woodland Park
• Amazon will add 100+ new Whole Foods Market locations, including expansion of its Daily Shop format

As part of a newly revamped grocery strategy, Amazon is shutting down its 58 branded brick-and-mortar supermarkets and 14 convenience stores nationwide.

In a Jan. 27 blog post, the Seattle-based online retailer said it plans to convert an unspecified number of those soon-to-shutter locations into Whole Foods Market stores.

Along with transforming existing Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh sites into Whole Foods Markets, Amazon plans to add more than 100 new outposts over the next few years, according to the announcement.

That will include expansion of its new, small-format spinoff Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. Designed for grab-and-go shopping, the two-year-old concept has opened three locations in New York City; one in Arlington, Va.; and one in Hoboken.

Within New Jersey, Amazon Fresh is located in Paramus, Eatontown, Lodi and Woodland Park.

An Amazon representative confirmed to NJBIZ that Feb. 1 will be the final day for most Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores. Both GeekWire and Bloomberg previously reported that date.

‘Whole’ new approach

In announcing the news, Amazon cited growth of Whole Foods and grocery delivery services from Amazon.com as factors in the decision.

Amazon said, “Whole Foods Market, a pioneer and leader in natural and organic foods, has seen strong success since our 2017 acquisition, with over 40% sales growth and expansion to more than 550 locations.”

“Customers are increasingly choosing Whole Foods Market for both everyday shopping and special occasions, as demonstrated by record-breaking customer traffic and year-over-year comparable store growth that is outpacing the broader industry,” the company said.

Amazon also played up its already vast reach in the online grocery space. It plans to continue operating Amazon Fresh grocery service and investing in same-day delivery of groceries.

“Over two decades ago, we started adding groceries and everyday household essentials to Amazon.com. Today, Amazon is one of the top three grocers in the U.S., with over $150 billion in gross sales and more than 150 million customers shopping groceries each year. Everyday household essentials represent one out of every three units sold on Amazon.com, as customers increasingly look to our broad selection, low prices, and fast delivery to fill their fridges and pantries.”

Additionally, Amazon pledged to “continue inventing on behalf of customers to develop a mass physical store format that brings customers distinctive selection, value, and convenience.”

“Over the coming years, we plan to introduce new store concepts that we think customers will be excited about,” it said.

A difficult decision

After introducing Amazon Fresh in 2020, the banner made its New Jersey debut two years later in Paramus.

While the company revealed plans to add stores in Lodi, Eatontown, Holmdel and Woodland Park soon after, it put development on hold to tweak its strategy. By November 2023, Amazon was back with a new approach to boost shopper appeal.

Amazon Go launched in 2018 as a pet project of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Amazon’s Just Walk Out frictionless payment technology powered the stores, allowing shoppers to purchase items without waiting in line at the register. Amazon later added the payment solution to Amazon Fresh supermarkets and Whole Foods stores. But in 2024,it removed the system as part of an effort to improve shopping experiences.

In recent years, Amazon has sought to sell checkout-free technology to other companies, as well as sports stadiums, entertainment venues, hospitals, colleges and amusement parks. For instance, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson opened a micro-market concept powered by Just Walk Out in 2023.

Though Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go expanded, both have struggled with attracting customers and competition from established banners.

“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 its blog post.

Amazon went on to describe the choice to pull the plug on Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go as “difficult.”

“We’re grateful to our team members for their many contributions over the years and are working whenever possible to help them find roles elsewhere in Amazon, including across our vast operations network, as we make this transition,” it said.

Amazon did not disclose the total number of employees impacted.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:49 a.m. Jan. 28, 2026, after an Amazon representative confirmed a store closure date with NJBIZ.