Amazon is overhauling its brick-and-mortar grocery strategy, announcing plans to close all Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical locations nationwide, including four stores in New Jersey. The move marks a pivot toward the company’s more successful Whole Foods Market brand and a massive expansion of its same-day grocery delivery network.
The New Jersey locations slated for closure by Feb. 1, include:
-
Eatontown: 137 NJ-35
-
Lodi: 2 Memorial Drive
-
Paramus: 30 E. Ridgewood Avenue
-
Woodland Park: 1510 Route 46
While the physical “Fresh” brand is disappearing from New Jersey storefronts, Amazon confirmed that Amazon Fresh online will continue to operate, serving as a primary hub for digital grocery orders.
Amazon’s decision follows a decade of retail experimentation. Despite the high-tech appeal of “Just Walk Out” technology, the company admitted it struggled to find the right economic model for the Fresh and Go formats.
“While we’ve seen encouraging signals, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company stated.
In their place, Amazon plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years. Some of the shuttered New Jersey Fresh locations are expected to be converted into Whole Foods Markets, though specific sites for conversion have not yet been finalized.
A key part of the new strategy is the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, a smaller, convenience-focused format. New Jersey recently saw the debut of this concept in Hoboken (101 Washington St.), which at 4,800 square feet is a fraction of the size of a traditional supermarket.
Amazon plans to double the number of these “Daily Shop” locations to 10 by the end of 2026, targeting high-traffic urban areas where customers prioritize grab-and-go meals and essentials.
As physical storefronts close, Amazon’s digital grocery business is surging. The company’s Same-Day Delivery service now covers over 5,000 U.S. cities, with New Jersey being a primary hub for the service.
Key growth metrics for 2025:
-
40x increase: Growth in perishable grocery sales through Same-Day service since January 2025.
-
9 of 10: Fresh groceries now represent nearly all of the top ten most-ordered items in Same-Day Delivery zones.
-
30-minute delivery: Amazon is currently testing “Amazon Now,” an ultra-fast service delivering essentials in roughly half an hour.
Amazon stated it is working to transition affected store employees into other roles within the company’s vast logistics and operations network. Employees at closing locations will reportedly receive 90 days of full pay and benefits during the transition.
