In This Article:
E-commerce giant Amazon appears to be rethinking some of its brick-and-mortar grocery store business.
Two properties in metro Detroit that had been reported as future locations for Amazon Fresh grocery stores are available again, according to a report from Crain's Detroit Business.
In Madison Heights, the location at 29411 John R is listed as available for sublease with Washington D.C.-based CoStar Group Inc. A local listing by Mid-America Real Estate lists a sublease for the same address of more than 42,000 square foot space as an anchor space. The space is in a shopping center that features a BJ's Wholesale and Texas Roadhouse, with Home Depot and Lowe's stores nearby.
More: Lile's Ham Sandwich Shop, a beloved Dearborn restaurant, closing after nearly 60 years
More: Grocery bills see slight relief in April — but USDA predicts increasing costs this year
Mother's Day weekend weather forecast: Rain and a cooldown coming for metro Detroit
An Amazon Fresh reportedly planned for a Dearborn location, in a former Kroger store north of Michigan Avenue near Outer Drive, also appears not to be happening, as the location is up for lease. The Kroger store closed in May 2019.
“We look forward to being a helpful partner to the property owner, and will provide support in the pursuit of alternative opportunities and ensuring the property is secure and maintained during this transition," Jordan Twardy, economic development director for the City of Dearborn, said in an email to the Free Press. "The City of Dearborn is proactive in attracting development that meets our community’s needs, and we're confident this will result in a positive redevelopment outcome.”
Elsewhere, Amazon Fresh stores planned for the Minneapolis area were not completed, according to Progressive Grocer, and are being subleased.
Amazon Fresh stores are like a traditional grocery store, but more high-tech. Unlike the traditional grocery store experience where you walk in, grab what you need, get in line and check out, the focus at Amazon Fresh is to be able to walk in and walk out with the items you just picked up. The shopping experience is meant to be "seamless."
Plans for Amazon Fresh stores in metro Detroit have been reported for Livonia, Plymouth Township, Rochester Hills, Roseville, Shelby Township and St. Clair Shores, along with one in Grand Blanc.
In a December 2022 Free Press article, Kurt Heise, Plymouth Township supervisor, confirmed that an Amazon Fresh store is under construction in a retail area near the recently opened $90 million Henry Ford Hospital facility on Ann Arbor Road near Haggerty. Plans for the store were approved by Heise, the township planner and the township engineer.