In an effort to accelerate its online grocery delivery business, Amazon announced on Jan. 27 it will launch its same-day delivery services in more markets this year, as well as add more than 100 new Whole Foods stores nationwide, while closing its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores.

Following last year’s introduction of its same-day delivery service, the e-commerce giant plans to expand the service in additional locations throughout the country. The service allows consumers to shop online for produce, dairy, meat, baked goods, and frozen foods, along with everyday household items, and offers delivery within a few hours.

Since January 2025, Amazon’s same-day delivery sales of perishable goods have grown by 40 times, and fresh groceries now comprise nine of the top ten most-ordered items in those areas where same-day delivery of groceries is available. As it focuses on expanding the service to new markets this year, the company said it will make operational changes to its Amazon-branded physical stores.

“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,” the announcement stated.

“Customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for fast and convenient delivery.”

The company noted it would work with existing team members at locations slated to be closed to find comparable roles within the company.

In addition to the same-day delivery expansion, the company plans to roll out Amazon Now, an ultra-fast delivery option currently available in test markets across the country. This service is designed to deliver food and essential items to customers within 30 minutes.

Plans are also proceeding for the opening of 100 new Whole Foods Market stores nationwide over the next few years. After acquiring Whole Foods in 2017, Amazon reported sales growth of more than 40 percent and expansion to more than 550 locations.

“Customers are increasingly choosing Whole Foods Market for both everyday shopping and special occasions, as demonstrated by record-breaking customer traffic and year-over-year comparable store growth that is outpacing the broader industry,” the announcement noted.

The company will also open five new Whole Foods Market Daily Shop locations by the end of this year. The smaller store format will offer a “neighborhood grocery shopping experience” with a selection of grab-and-go meals, coffee, and daily essentials.

Current locations of these smaller stores can be found in the Manhattan borough of New York City; Hoboken, New Jersey; and Arlington, Virginia. Later this year, another location will open in the Williamsburg neighborhood of New York City’s Brooklyn borough.

Amazon will continue testing a new concept: a “store within a store” in Whole Foods locations. In Chicago and Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, each Whole Foods store also offers a 10,000-square-foot micro-fulfillment center that allows consumers to purchase organic products along with name-brand and household goods online at the same time.

The fulfillment center stocks more than 12,000 unique items from Whole Foods Market and Amazon, and orders are prepared while the customers shop.

Amazon currently offers fast, convenient grocery delivery in more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns. Headquartered in Seattle and Arlington, Virginia, the firm bills itself as one of the top three grocers in the country, with about $150 billion in gross sales and more than 150 million grocery shoppers annually.