Amazon reportedly plans to build new Whole Foods Market stores – CNET

A new Whole Foods Market store may be opening near you soon, with Amazon’s two-hour delivery service being one of its key products.

The internet retail giant plans to build and expand Whole Foods stores across the US to expand the reach of its ultraspeedy Amazon Prime Now, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.  The expansion would put more customers in suburbs and other areas in the range of the grocery delivery service.

Some of the retail spaces that Whole Foods Market employees have visited in Idaho, southern Utah and Wyoming were about 45,000 square feet, slightly larger than existing stores, a source told the newspaper. The extra space would be used to accommodate delivery and pickup of Amazon orders, the Journal reported.

Amazon and its produce partner, which it acquired for $13.7 billion in 2017, offer two-hour delivery service from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for Prime members. Amazon charges its Prime members $119 ($59 for students) a year for two-day free shipping and other benefits, such as access to streaming music and video content.

Prime Now offers fresh produce, meat, seafood, staples, select alcohol and locally sourced products from Whole Foods Market.Amazon has been expanding the service in recent months, adding 10 more cities in September and bringing the total number of cities where the service is offered to 38.  

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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