Amazon closing 2 brick-and-mortar stores in Scottsdale, scrapping concepts

PHOENIX – Both of Amazon’s brick-and-mortar stores in metro Phoenix will shut down this month after the internet retail giant said Wednesday it will focus on other initiatives.

The Seattle-based company is closing all of its physical bookstores, as well as its 4-star shops and pop-up locations. The move will affect 66 stores in the U.S. and two in the United Kingdom.

Amazon entered the in-person retail market in Arizona with a bookstore at the Scottsdale Quarter shopping center in 2019.

A year later, a 4-star shop, which offers a selection of Amazon.com’s best-selling items, debuted at Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Employees said over the phone that March 19 will be the final day for both stores.

The company said the closures will allow it to concentrate on Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, the Amazon Go convenience concept and the upcoming Amazon Style stores, which will sell fashion and accessories.

“We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies and we’re working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon,” the company said in a statement.

Amazon opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore in 2015, two decades after it began selling books online and helped drive a number of shops out of business. The first 4-star shop opened in 2018.

The move comes as Amazon.com Inc.’s overall revenue growth is slowing, and it’s looking for new ways to reignite sales.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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