RETAILER DEEP DIVE
Amazon
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t’s been 18 months since Amazon opened its first full-size supermarket, and a question on the mind of everyone in the retail industry is: What’s next for the e-commerce giant’s grocery aspirations? The chief of the company’s Amazon Fresh grocery banner answers that question in an exclusive interview with Progressive Grocer. “Amazon’s cultural bedrock is customer obsession, which drives all of our various businesses to innovate for customers in big and small ways, and to agonize over the things that matter most to them,” says Jeff Helbling, VP of Amazon Fresh. “As we open more Amazon Fresh stores, we will continue to invest in technology — like our Just Walk Out shopping and the Amazon Dash Cart — to make the grocery shopping experience more convenient for customers.” Leveraging the lessons from its $13 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market in 2017, and continuing to focus on ruthless execution and experimentation, Amazon is on the cusp of transforming grocery with what is expected to be an acceleration of openings for its Amazon Fresh format this year.
Key Takeaways Amazon Fresh store openings are poised to accelerate this year. Cashierless technology is expected to launch in more stores and provide another revenue stream. A veteran from Tesco has joined the team just in time for scaling the grocery business.
EXPERIMENT AND CONQUER By Gina Acosta
How Amazon plans to transform grocery in 2022.
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progressivegrocer.com
