Amazon closes its physical bookstores in the US and the UK
Amazon will close its physical bookstores in the United States and the United Kingdom, but will retain branches of technology, food and textile products
Major e-commerce company Amazon said it plans to close dozens of brick-and-mortar bookstores and other retail stores to focus on groceries and tech. The decision affects a total of 68 stores in the United States and the United Kingdom dedicated to different products.
The e-commerce giant said the move is part of a broader shift the company is making to its strategy with brick-and-mortar retailers, noting that it will strengthen its focus on grocery retail locations.
An Amazon spokeswoman indicated that the company decided to “close its Amazon 4-star and Pop Up bookstores and stores, but will keep its food, technology and textile branches, such as Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go and Amazon Style” open.
The spokeswoman also explained that the company remains “committed to creating great physical retail experiences and technologies for the long term, and we are working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon.”
Amazon: from book to food
Amazon was created as a digital bookstore by Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world. Later he expanded his sales and included records. Two decades later, he added physical stores, opening its first physical bookstore in 2015 in Seattle. As a differentiating element he offered discounts to Amazon Prime customers, as well as offering its own devices to try and sell. He created a curated selection of books based on a rating system.
Subsequently, it developed a network extended to several cities in the United States offering a reading experience, but according to some “international media it did not reach the expected profitability and the experience of finding books was transformed into a hybrid between copies and other products. sold from Amazon.com.”
Amazon, whose name is inspired by the largest river on the planet Amazon, became a business model for the new platforms and as a mirror to look at the ferocity of the market. Its beginning was with the sale of books, but it has expanded so much that it has become a “sort of hypermarket with varied products, which today is diversified into technology, food, clothing, toys and household items.”
M. Rodríguez
Source: conclusion.com.ar
