Amazon opens general store in UK, first outside US, Retail News, ET Retail

Amazon on Wednesday opened its first general store outside the United States at a shopping center in Britain, selling the online retailer’s most popular products, including books, toys, games and consumer electronics. The US company said the store, called “4 stars” because it sells products rated 4 or more stars by customers, reflects what customers regularly buy and enjoy. The retailer says it uses data from its online activity to select the products that are most popular with local shoppers and that in-store display will change regularly.

Amazon launched the general store model in 2018 in the United States where it already has several dozen outlets.

The company said the launch at Bluewater Shopping Center in Kent, south-east London, had been scheduled for two years, before the pandemic.

“The pandemic hasn’t really changed the way we think. We have seen that the model is working very well in shopping malls in the United States,” said Andy Jones, Director of 4 Star Amazon UK.

“There are Amazon products (customers) expect but also local products from small suppliers, because that’s a huge part of Amazon’s business,” he added.

It wouldn’t say if any other 4 star stores are planned in UK.

The company opened its first grocery store, Amazon Fresh, in the UK last year in London. He said the model had been “well received” since opening and had extended the brick-and-mortar grocery arm to six stores across London.