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Second Amazon Fresh supermarket opens its doors

New Irvine store joins Woodland Hills location in Southern California

Russell Redman

October 23, 2020

3 Min Read
Amazon Fresh supermarket-produce dept.jpg
The Amazon Fresh in Irvine is sized at about 40,000 square feet, 5,000 square feet larger than its sister store in Woodland Hills.Amazon

Amazon has opened its second Amazon Fresh grocery store, located in Irvine, Calif.

The 40,000-square-foot store, which opened to the public yesterday, serves up a mix of national and private brands and fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with an array prepared foods made fresh in store daily, Amazon said. The latter range from fresh-baked bread and made-to-order pizzas to rotisserie chickens and hot sandwiches like brisket panini. 

Brands carried at the new Amazon Fresh, situated at 13672 Jamboree Rd. in Irvine, include Amazon-exclusive labels such as Fresh and Cursive plus 365 by Whole Foods Market organics, in addition to national brands like Coca-Cola and Kraft Mac & Cheese; local brands such as Good Culture cottage cheese, Tosi snack bars, Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi and Rockenwagner Bakery; and regional favorites like Duke’s Mayo, Ellenos Yogurt and Boston Chowda.

Both Amazon Fresh stores now in operation are in the Los Angeles area. Sized at 35,000 square feet, the first Amazon Fresh store opened to the public in Woodland Hills, Calif., in mid-September after an invitation-only launch in late August. The two locations are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Amazon Fresh bakery area.jpg

Fresh-baked goods are among the prepared foods made daily at Amazon Fresh stores.

Like its sister store in Woodland Hills, the Irvine Amazon Fresh emphasizes low prices, according to Amazon. Examples of everyday-low-price items include bananas for 15 cents, fresh-baked bread for 89 cents, pizza slices for $1.79 and rotisserie chickens for $4.97. Among the grand opening deals for the Irvine store are $2.69 for a 12-pack of Coca-Cola, buy-one-get-one-free Frito-Lay chips (7.75 oz.-9.75 oz.), 59 cents/lb. for green D’Anjou pears and $7.29 for Panorama Meats USDA organic beef ribeye steak (8 oz.), as well as $5.79 for a 55-count Sour Patch, Twizzlers and Jolly Ranchers Halloween candy assortment.

Related:Amazon begins hiring for four new Amazon Fresh stores in Chicagoland

Technology also is prominent in the Amazon Fresh concept. Shoppers can use the multifunction Amazon Dash Cart, announced in mid-July, to find items, track purchases and expedite checkout, while new features from Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant will help customers manage shopping lists and navigate the store’s aisles. And on the e-commerce side, same-day grocery delivery and pickup are offered directly from the Amazon Fresh store. Customers can pick up their orders at the store’s service counter or by parking in a designated pickup spot. 

The Irvine and Woodland Hills stores are among a half-dozen Amazon Fresh locations disclosed by Amazon. Earlier this week, the Seattle-based e-tail giant said it has kicked off hiring for four Amazon Fresh stores in the Chicago area: Naperville, Bloomingdale, Oak Lawn and Schaumburg, Ill. Other upcoming Amazon Fresh stores include Northridge and North Hollywood, Calif. Amazon also acquired two Fairway Market store leases in Paramus and Woodland Park, N.J., in March but hasn’t disclosed plans for the locations.

Related:Amazon Fresh ‘built to outlast’ other grocery retailers, says Brick Meets Click

According to Brick Meets Click co-founder and chief architect Bill Bishop, Amazon Fresh is a “store format that other grocers will need to watch.” A Barrington, Ill.-based strategic advisory firm, Brick Meets Click focuses on how digital technology and competitors are reshaping food sales and marketing.

“At first glance, Amazon Fresh looks a lot like a conventional grocery store: It’s not too small and it’s not too big, it carries all the items found in a full-service grocery store, and its meat, seafood and deli departments offer fresh prepared items, grab-and-go as well as pizza,” Bishop wrote in a blog post. “But a closer look reveals that Amazon Fresh is a digitally integrated grocery store, merchandised for today’s customers, that provides a seamless shopping experience. Its low break-even sales volume means that it can operate profitably in intensely competitive markets.”

Currently, Amazon’s U.S. physical stores include 487 Whole Foods Markets, two Amazon Fresh grocery stores, two Amazon Go Grocery stores (in Seattle and Redmond, Wash., about 10,000 square feet each), 26 Amazon Go cashierless convenience stores (five locations temporarily closed), 23 Amazon Books stores, 25 Amazon 4-Star outlets (one temporarily closed) and seven Presented by Amazon pop-up locations (one temporarily closed).

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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