Amazon is reportedly looking to the United Kingdom for a future Amazon Go location. The eCommerce retailer is said to be on the hunt for a space in the Oxford Circus district of London for its cashierless C-store concept, Business Insider reported.
According to the report, the retailer is seeking a location with 3,000 to 5,000 square feet in the neighborhood that was described as “the busiest shopping area in London.” The location would be the flagship store in the United Kingdom. In addition, the store project is reportedly headed up by Amazon’s U.S. operations. A spokesperson for the retailer would not comment to The Telegraph on the reports.
The news comes as Amazon is reportedly testing the idea of bringing its cashierless checkout technology to a larger store format by experimenting in a Seattle space that is formatted like a big store, according to a Wall Street Journal report earlier in December. While the technology has worked well in a smaller store format, the paper reported it is harder to use in larger spaces that have higher ceilings and offer more items.
Currently, the cashierless technology is in use in seven Amazon Go stores located in Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco, with plans to add more stores around the country. Each location has less than 2,500 square feet and sells drinks, groceries and other products. At the same time, Amazon is also looking into the idea of rolling out cashierless stores in airports as it continues to expand into a host of new markets. According to a Reuters report, the eCommerce retailer is looking at airports in the United States for new Amazon Go locations. Amazon Go’s first location opened in Seattle earlier this year.
