Amazon is trying to attract additional grocery customers by testing a new small-format grocer in a River North skyscraper that already has a Whole Foods Market location.
A new, Amazon-branded small-format grocery store opened in the One Chicago Building, 14 W. Superior St., where a Whole Foods Market operates, Amazon spokeswoman Jessica Martin confirmed to NBC Chicago.
“We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for customers to shop for groceries, whether it’s online or in-store,” Martin said in part in the statement. “With this new concept, customers can shop for their favorite natural and organic products at Whole Foods Market and get a wider variety of products from Amazon all in one trip, saving time and money.”
The 3,800-square-foot store offers more than 3,500 products, including “food refills,” coffee, grab-and-go meals and household items not offered at Whole Foods, which focuses on natural and organic products.
Amazon’s latest venture marks its latest attempt to expand its reach into the grocery industry. On Oct. 9, the company revealed it was building its first-ever automated micro-fulfillment center at a Whole Foods Market store outside of Philadelphia “to supplement what’s in the store with popular essentials from Amazon.com and favorites from Amazon Fresh, all under one roof.” “