Roseville Amazon Fresh store to close

Roseville's Amazon Fresh store is slated to close after the company announced it plans to shut its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go brick and mortar stores. The announcement brings closures to 22 stores in California, including the one on Stanford Ranch Road. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Amazon announced the change is due to the stores having not lived up to expectations. Roseville's Amazon Fresh opened in August 2024. "While we've seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven't yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion," explained Amazon officials in a blog post. "After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we've made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores." Amazon officials also explained that U.S. shoppers are increasingly turning to online delivery for everyday essentials and fresh food, and that's causing the company to pivot. "Today, millions of customers in over 5,000 cities and towns across the U.S. can shop online with Amazon for affordable household essentials and groceries, including selection from Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh online and local retail partnerships." Amazon officials said in a statement. Amazon plans to continue building on the Whole Foods Market brand, which it says has experienced a 40-percent increase in sales and growth since it acquired the company in 2017. Amazon plans to accelerate this growth by investing in opening more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years. The company also said it may introduce new store concepts that they feel will resonate with customers. In the Sacramento region, Amazon Fresh stores that will close are located in Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Roseville.