Amazon Fresh Opens First Grocery Store, Mixing Smart Tech With Traditional Offerings

The long-awaited opening of the first Amazon Fresh store marks the start of the latest chapter in the company’s closely watched effort to put its stamp on the U.S. grocery store industry.

The Woodland Hills facility, which has standard checkout equipment and had been operating as a dark store to fill online grocery orders for the past few months, is the first of several conventional grocery stores Amazon is planning to open. According to an Amazon spokesperson, the company also intends to operate supermarkets in Oak Lawn, Naperville and Schaumburg, Illinois, and in Irvine and North Hollywood, California.

Although the Amazon Fresh store is independent of Amazon’s Whole Foods Market subsidiary, the new supermarket will carry organic items sporting the 365 by Whole Foods Market brand. In addition, the store will sell products from companies like Coca-Cola and Kraft as well as items from local brands, such as Rockenwagner Bakery and Groundworks Coffee. It will also stock Amazon-exclusive brands like Fresh and Cursive. Like other traditional grocers, the Fresh store will provide prepared foods, from freshly baked bread to made-to-order pizza.