Amazon has announced plans to close all of its brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as other shops in both the United States and United Kingdom.
Amazon told Reuters it was closing all 68 of its bookstores, pop-ups and other “4-star” stores as it focuses more on grocery markets and a department store concept.
“We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies, and we’re working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon,” Betsy Harden, an Amazon spokesperson, said in a statement to CNN.
The closure dates for each store will vary, and Amazon told CNBC it would help employees find roles elsewhere in the company, and that those who leave will receive severance packages.
Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar retail store opened in 2015 and was a campus store for students, CNN reported. As of Dec. 31, 2021, Amazon had 672 physical stores in North America, which includes Whole Foods stores, CNN reported.
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