Sources indicate Amazon is looking for store space in London, apparently to open an Amazon Go supermarket someday. This particular type of supermarket, with only 1 existing store in Seattle, has no cash registers.
Expanded version of Amazon Go
It is not clear how many locations Amazon is targeting and when it intends to open the supermarkets, but Amazon is not revealing any information. It has refused to comment on these rumours.
Amazon is apparently also working on a larger version of Amazon Go, where groceries would also be automatically packed. Despite its 1,000 – 3,500 sqm size, only 6 employees would be required to keep everything running. Fewer employees also mean the store’s profit margins would exponentially increase, possibly higher than 20 %. That would be immense, considering the average profit margin nowadays is 1.7 %.
It is also remarkable to note that these supermarkets would have 2 floors: the bottom floor would be a regular store, while the second floor would be operated by robots that collect the groceries and bring them to the store’s exit where customers can pick them up. However, there are no plans to actually build the store and Amazon even denies these plans exist.