Amazon Fresh physical stores set to close Feb. 1 as Amazon pivots to Whole Foods

Amazon is days away from ending its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical store formats, with most locations scheduled to stop operating Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 (ET). The move affects dozens of stores and pushes shoppers toward online grocery ordering and Whole Foods Market for in-person trips, even as customers search “amazon fresh near me” to confirm whether local doors are still open.

The shutdown is one of Amazon’s clearest signals yet that it is narrowing its brick-and-mortar grocery ambitions to Whole Foods while trying to scale delivery, including same-day options in more markets.

Closures land by Feb. 1, with California exceptions

Amazon has said the final day of operation for most Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Sunday, Feb. 1. A limited number of California locations are expected to remain open longer to satisfy state requirements, which can extend closure timelines even when a company decision is already final.

The scope is broad: 57 Amazon Fresh supermarkets and 15 Amazon Go convenience stores are slated to close. Amazon has not published a single, unified list of last operating days for every address nationwide, which has fueled uncertainty for shoppers and employees in the final weekend.

Online grocery remains, with same-day expansion in 2026

Amazon is not exiting grocery. The company says its Amazon Fresh online grocery delivery will continue, and it is leaning into the idea that customers increasingly want groceries delivered alongside household essentials.

Amazon says it already offers grocery delivery in more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns, including many places served by same-day delivery that allows perishables to be ordered with other items. It plans to expand same-day grocery delivery to more communities during 2026, a timeline that lines up with the decision to redeploy resources away from operating Fresh and Go storefronts.

For consumers, that means the biggest near-term change is the loss of physical Fresh stores rather than the end of the Fresh brand entirely. In markets where Amazon Fresh delivery is active, shoppers may still see it as an option online even after local physical locations close.

Whole Foods becomes the primary in-person grocery bet

Amazon is doubling down on Whole Foods Market as the center of its physical grocery strategy. The company has said it plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods stores over the next few years, and to expand its smaller-format Whole Foods Market Daily Shop concept, including five additional Daily Shop locations by the end of 2026.

Amazon also expects to convert “various” closing Fresh and Go sites into Whole Foods stores, though it has not provided a comprehensive list of which addresses will convert or when reopenings would occur. Conversions can take months due to renovation and permitting, meaning many neighborhoods will experience a gap between a closure and any replacement store.

Why Amazon is pulling back from Fresh and Go stores

Amazon’s stated rationale is that its Amazon-branded physical grocery stores did not reach a “distinctive” customer experience paired with an economic model that supports large-scale expansion. In other words: the company saw promising signals, but not enough to justify continued investment in operating the chains as standalone formats.

The closures also arrive as Amazon continues experimenting with other retail ideas. The company has pointed to ongoing tests of new physical store experiences and has discussed the concept of larger “supercenter” locations that would carry groceries and more, without providing many specifics on rollout or timing.

Separately, Amazon says the cashierless “Just Walk Out” technology will continue to be used in third-party sites and within parts of Amazon’s own operations, even as the Go convenience-store footprint closes.

What “Amazon Fresh near me” searches should do this weekend

Because store listings can lag during fast closures, shoppers trying to confirm whether an Amazon Fresh location is still open may get conflicting signals from map apps, social posts, and older store pages.

Two real-time checks tend to be the most practical:

• The Amazon shopping app or grocery ordering flow: if pickup windows vanish, store hours are removed, or the location is no longer selectable, the store is likely closing imminently.

• The store’s phone recording and posted entrance signage: these often update faster than third-party listings during shutdowns.

Even where stores remain open through Sunday, many locations are expected to run with reduced selection—especially in perishables—as inventory is sold through and replenishment slows.

Sources consulted: About Amazon; Associated Press; Axios; The Verge; Los Angeles Times.