The much-anticipated Amazon Fresh grocery store in Arlington Heights will open to the public on Thursday, July 25, the e-commerce giant announced Thursday.
At 325 E. Palatine Road, the 50,000-square-foot big box store will become the 10th supermarket in the retail giant’s Illinois portfolio, joining locations in Bloomingdale, Morton Grove, Norridge, North Riverside, Oak Lawn, Schaumburg, Westmont, and two in Naperville.
The Arlington Heights store had been in limbo for the better part of two years, amid Amazon’s re-examination of its business model in the grocery industry.
But company officials declared their commitment to the brick-and-mortar grocery business in no uncertain terms on Thursday.
“Amazon already has a large online grocery business and millions of products available for fast delivery, but if you want to serve as many grocery needs as we do, you have to offer customers great selection, value, and convenience — not just online, but in physical stores too,” a company spokesman wrote in an email to the Daily Herald. “We remain committed to grocery, and will selectively open new Amazon Fresh stores as we see positive customer feedback on the new format, as well as continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores.”
Knowledge of the store’s imminent opening has come in recent weeks, with the installation of “Dealicious groceries coming soon” and Amazon grocery pickup parking space signs. On July 1, when the Arlington Heights village board awarded liquor licenses for the retail sale of alcohol and in-store tastings, store manager Matt Feldman told village board members the store is set to open “very, very soon.”
There was some doubt as to whether the grocer would ever come to town. Interior upgrades started in 2021 and building signage went up in June 2022, but those signs were taken down by the spring of 2023.
Signage for the Amazon Fresh store in Arlington Heights went up in June 2022, but was taken down months later, amid the company’s re-examination of its business model in the grocery industry.
Russell Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com, June 2022
Officials said Thursday the new store will feature the company’s latest brick-and-mortar design unveiled last year in select Chicago-area and Southern California stores.
Among the in-store offerings: produce, meat and seafood; a dedicated department for crackers, cheeses and charcuterie; and prepared foods, including grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, wraps, snack boxes, take-and-bake pizzas and ready-to-heat burritos.
More than 95 regional brands will be stocked on store shelves, including Garrett Popcorn, officials said.
Amazon Fresh stores are known for the use of so-called Amazon Dash Carts: high-tech shopping buggies equipped with scanners and sensors that detect what items are being placed inside. The system is synced up with consumers’ Amazon accounts and credit cards, so they can skip the checkout lines.
But shoppers can use traditional checkout lines in the new store, too.
Store hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.