Amazon is planning to open a series of largescale retail locations in the United States that resemble department stores, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said that the first locations are slated to open in Ohio and California, and will be “smaller than most department stores” at around 30,000 square feet. Amazon will likely sell products from top consumer brands and its own private label and will expand its sale of electronics, clothing and household items. The sources added that these plans have not yet been finalized.
The e-commerce giant’s continued retail expansion was foreshadowed by the WSJ in a 2019 report, which noted that Amazon had recently acquired a number of abandoned shopping centers in Northeastern Ohio.
In recent years, the online retailer has built up its portfolio of brick-and-mortar spaces, including a partnership with grocery chain Whole Foods as well as the establishment of its own Amazon-branded bookstores and Amazon Go convenience stores. The company also has a partnership with Kohl’s, the largest department store chain in the U.S., that allows for customers to return Amazon-branded items in its stores.
In other news, Amazon has begun operations at its $1.5 billion USD air hub.
