Amazon to open supermarkets across US in food business expansion
Amazon is looking to open dozens of supermarkets across America as it tries to expand its food business.
The online retailer is also exploring the option of buying regional chains that have at least 12 stores as it bids to strength its new supermarket brand, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Amazon is in talks to open stores in shopping centres across the US in cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, the WSJ report said.
It already owns the upscale Whole Foods chain, having bought it for $13.7bn (£10.4bn) in 2017.
The American-based company plans to open its first store in Los Angeles as early as the end of this year and has signed leases for at least two other locations with openings planned for next year, the report claimed.
Amazon declined to comment.
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The largest supermarket chain in the US, Walmart, has been preparing for competition for up to two years, according to the WSJ, citing a source.
It claimed that Walmart will respond with pickup services at more than 3,000 stores by the start of next year, while offering deliveries from a further 800 by the end of 2019.