Amazon continues to expand its physical presence in the UK retail sector with the opening of its second non-food store offering its bestselling lines of electronics, homeware, toys, games, and books.
The new outlet in the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush is similar to the store that opened in the Bluewater shopping centre last month.
The stores stock around 2,000 lines that have been selected by analysing sales data from its website to judge which products are proving popular with local shoppers. The range of products changes regularly, based on customer feedback and new product releases.
Digital price tags are used to ensure the prices are the same in-store and online.
Meanwhile, customers can also use the stores to collect items they’ve ordered online, as well as return them without the need for packaging and labels.
Andy Jones, Director of Amazon 4-Star UK, said: “Since opening our first Amazon 4 Star store in Bluewater, we have heard how customers love to discover new products, test devices and see local trends.”
Hinting at more openings, he added that the company was eager to “bring this exciting and convenient new way to shop to more customers.”
The first Amazon 4-star store was opened in New York in 2018, with more than 30 sites now operating across the US. The concept is based on the idea that all of the products sold there have been rated at least four stars out of five by online shoppers.
The format’s UK launch came just seven months after Amazon opened its first bricks & mortar grocery store in the country under its Fresh banner. It has also experimented with pop-up shops in the past and opened a hi-tech hair salon in London earlier this year.
NAM Implications:
- Inevitable…
- …and the more it succeeds the faster the roll-out.
- Any possibility of getting aboard?
