Citing Reuters, Amazon said it would focus more on its grocery markets and a department store concept going forward. Amazon will close its 4-star, pop-up and bookstore locations on various dates and notify customers via signage. Workers will receive severance or can receive help finding jobs at any company stores nearby, such as more than a dozen Amazon Fresh grocery locations it has announced, the retailer said.
After opening its first book shop in Seattle, US, in 2015, Amazon has tried out an array of ideas in retail: convenience stores without cashiers, supermarkets, and a format called ‘4-star’, in which it sells toys, household items, and other goods with high customer ratings.
Amazon had aimed to reach shoppers in more places and bring its online touch into the real world. Its bookstores would pull from its vast data trove and showcase what people were reading, even the reviews they left on Amazon's website, Reuters explains.
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