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ediblerice t1_j9jewwg wrote

This is lazy on the part of the writer. The official said "Amazon grocery store". Couple that with the other rumored "Whole Foods" on Midlothian Turnpike and they should realize that these are most likely Amazon Fresh grocery stores, not Whole Foods. There are already many in Northern Virginia. I'm more excited for that than I am for Whole Foods anyway.

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VaMoInNj t1_j9jvqzh wrote

Amazon Fresh announced earlier this month that they were halting expansion, closing some stores and not completing others that weren't open yet.

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https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/amazon-halts-fresh-rollout-shutters-stores

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ediblerice t1_j9jzbr3 wrote

That's disappointing. With the Midlothian and Hull St locations so close, I doubt they were both planned to be Whole Foods... And would they plan to open a new Whole Foods in one and an Amazon Fresh at the other? I'd still guess that both locations were planned to be Amazon Fresh, but one or both may not be built now.

Lidl had planned on other locations in Chesterfield (and even owned the land for them), but ended up not building all of their planned locations. This could be similar.

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jeb_hoge t1_j9k51bb wrote

I just want a gd Trader Joes in the Woodlake area.

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MrPlowThatsTheName t1_j9l686c wrote

Yes they’d make a killing out that way. The south side location is just about as shitty to drive to from WL/Brandermill as the Short Pump location.

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baconsaurus_REX t1_j9n4g30 wrote

Trader Joes should have taken over the old Barnes & Noble at Commonwealth Centre instead of Fresh Market. They even had a head start with the awkward parking lot.

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CarlCasper t1_j9mgpwp wrote

A permit was filed in September 2022 for a new grocery store in Libbie Place (on Broad near Willow Lawn). Several people speculated this is/was going to be an Amazon Fresh since the article indicated it was a new to Richmond chain grocer. Makes me wonder if this is still happening now. Although it could be a completely different grocer.

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BurkeyTurger t1_j9ka0zv wrote

https://www.engadget.com/amazon-plans-to-eventually-go-big-on-physical-grocery-stores-154524344.html

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VaMoInNj t1_j9kf7nz wrote

I'm sure they are eventually going to expand Fresh again, but anything being announced this week isn't going to be a Fresh store.

I've shopped at an Amazon Fresh store, and they aren't that good. The Amazon Go convenience store concept is excellent, but the full grocery store isn't. Especially since it isn't just "walk right out" as they say. You still have to have your phone scanned out of the store by an Amazon employee at the exit before the exit gate will open. Add extremely high prices to that, and after shopping at one once, I have no desire to really go back to one.

Hopefully the expansion pause will let them figure out what they need to do to make it work.

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BurkeyTurger t1_j9kggk6 wrote

Both this site and the Alverser one were in the works since last fall if you look at the Accela system so it isn't a new announcement.

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VaMoInNj t1_j9kil1u wrote

In that case maybe, but they had another few in the works up here, including at least one that was pretty close to complete, that they have stopped work on for now.

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BurkeyTurger t1_j9k9xo1 wrote

Given that they said first to market for the region originally I'm in the bad reporting camp too. Amazon Fresh closed some stores but also they also recently said they were intending to "go big" in brick and mortar grocery market.

https://www.engadget.com/amazon-plans-to-eventually-go-big-on-physical-grocery-stores-154524344.html

Edit: Thought this was the Alverser development at first, that was the one that used the first to market language. Not sure if they said the same about Hull.

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