Amazon has announced the closure of all 19 Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, putting up to 250 jobs at risk. The tech giant said the decision followed a 'thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery'.
The 'Just Walk Out' technology, which used AI-powered cameras and sensors to track customers and automatically charge them, has been blamed for the failure. Critics described the concept as 'dystopian' and raised concerns about mass surveillance. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, called it a 'dystopian, total-surveillance shopping experience'.
Experts noted that the system often malfunctioned, charging customers for items they had put back on shelves. The requirement to use a smartphone app to enter the store also alienated older shoppers. Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey said the 'reticence of UK shoppers' to engage with the technology likely contributed to low footfall.
Amazon plans to convert five of the closed stores into Whole Foods Market outlets. The remaining 14 stores will shut entirely. The closures mark the end of a concept that launched in the UK in 2021, after first appearing in the US in 2018.
