Amazon is one of the greatest success stories in retail history. But even the online giant occasionally makes a misstep.
Over the past several years, Amazon has expanded its reach into brick-and-mortar stores. Some of these ventures will continue to move forward, but others are going bust.
As Reuters first reported, Amazon plans to shutter 68 brick-and-mortar locations. Closings will occur on various dates in the future, with Amazon notifying customers of closing stores via signage.
Following are the three types of stores Amazon plans to abandon.
Amazon Books
It appears that the final chapter has arrived for Amazon’s foray into brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Amazon now plans to close all of its physical bookstores, which were the retailer’s first venture into real-world retail locations that feature the Amazon brand.
In 2015, Amazon opened its first bookstore in Seattle with high hopes. But Reuters reports that in the end, “the company’s innovations were not enough to counter the march toward online shopping that Amazon itself had set off.”
The bookstores and other types of brick-and-mortar Amazon stores have not kept pace with the growth in other aspects of Amazon’s business.
Amazon 4-star
Amazon 4-star is a real-world, physical version of the website come to life. The store features Amazon products that get at least four-star ratings based on customer reviews.
But like most celestial bodies that appear in a flash, Amazon 4-star is fadingam away fast.
Amazon Pop Up
Amazon Pop Up is a network of kiosks inside shopping malls that sell a rotating inventory of goods tied to themes and brands.
But as with the other locations on this list, the Pop Up model has been beaten down by the trend toward online shopping.
Amazon stores that aren’t closing
While Amazon is abandoning many of its brick-and-mortar locations, it will push ahead with others. Reuters reports that Amazon plans to focus on its grocery markets –such as Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh — and a department store concept going forward.
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