Amazon to close four Fresh stores in Southern California 

Amazon plans to close four more Fresh BB #:283186 supermarkets in Southern California, according to a CNBC story October 3.

The stores will close over the next few weeks, Amazon confirmed to CNBC.  

Earlier this year, Amazon Fresh closed four stores: in Washington, New York, Virginia, and a Los Angeles suburb. 

CNBC reported the stores that will close in Southern California are in La Verne, Mission Viejo, La Habra, and Wittier. 

“Certain locations work better than others, and after an assessment, we’ve made the decision to close these Amazon Fresh locations,” Amazon’s Griffin Buch said in a statement to CNBC. “We’re working closely with affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon wherever possible.” 

In August, Amazon announced customers in more than 1,000 cities and towns can now order fresh groceries with their Same-Day Delivery orders, with plans to expand to over 2,300 across the U.S. by year-end.  

Last year, Amazon ended use of its Just Walk Out technology in the U.S., which let customers buy items in some Amazon Fresh stores without waiting in line.

At the time, Amazon said it planned to keep the technology in some United Kingdom stores. 

But in late September, the company said it plans to close 14 Fresh stores in the UK and convert the remaining five to Whole Foods markets. 

In the U.S., Amazon still has more than 60 Fresh stores.