|
Selling food in physical stores is a key strategy of the world's
top online retailer as it tries to win business from shoppers.
It has so far opened 10 Amazon Go stores in the U.S. but is yet
to take the concept overseas.
The trade publication did not say how many sites had been
secured for the stores, where sensors and cameras track
customers as they pick up items, allowing them to be
automatically charged for their shopping.
A spokesman for Amazon in the UK declined to comment on the
report.
Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said the Amazon Go stores would
fit into the high-traffic segment of the convenience food retail
market, catering for people on the move or working locally,
selling "on the go food", meal kits and standard groceries.
In that sense they would compete with chains such as Pret-A-Manger,
Eat and Marks & Spencer, as well as the convenience stores of UK
grocery market leader Tesco and No. 2 player Sainsbury's.
"This particular convenience segment seems an even bigger
challenge than the segments Amazon has targeted for the last 10
years with limited success," said Monteyne.
Amazon currently sells food in Britain through its Amazon Fresh,
Amazon Pantry and Amazon Prime Now services. But, according to
market researchers Kantar Worldpanel, its UK grocery market
share is still less than 1 percent.
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
