Amazon Fresh opened its doors at a shopping center in Willow Grove on Thursday, becoming the tech giant's first store in Montgomery County. The location had been the subject of litigation because it was one of several stores in the region where Amazon had signed a lease, but then delayed opening the planned supermarket.
The Amazon Fresh at 102 Park Ave. — formerly a Barnes & Noble bookstore — held its grand opening Thursday morning with Amazon gift card giveaways to early customers. The store is Amazon's tech-forward and convenience-centered counterpart to its Whole Foods brand. Amazon Fresh debuted in 2020 and has grown to more than 40 locations in eight states and Washington, D.C. The Willow Grove store is the fifth to open in the Philadelphia region.
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Amazon signed a lease at the Willow Grove location in 2020 but delayed opening when the company paused its growth last year. At the time, Amazon Fresh was struggling to gain traction and the company said it would move forward selectively with new stores.
Last year, property owner Federal Realty Investment Trust sued Amazon over claims that the company failed to make timely rent payments after signing the lease. The landlord said it had done construction, permitting and interior fit-out work to accommodate the planned Amazon Fresh but wasn't paid rent as required in the lease.
Amazon then filed a countersuit against Federal Reality Investment Trust, claiming the landlord had failed to fulfill obligations at the property and that rent was not due because of incomplete work.
Representatives for Federal Realty Investment Trust and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comments about the status of the litigation.
Amazon Fresh has made some changes in its service in the last year. The former "Just Walk Out" feature, which allowed customers to pay for their groceries without stopping at a register, has been scrapped in favor of new Dash Carts that enable shoppers to scan their items as they go and keep a running receipt. Amazon Fresh also changed the design of its brick-and-mortar stores, including the 31,000-square-foot location in Willow Grove.
In addition to stocking national brands, produce and meats, Amazon Fresh stores carry the company's private-label brands Aplenty and 365.
The opening in Willow Grove comes after another long-delayed Amazon Fresh store opened in Bensalem, Bucks County, in August. The company has one Delaware County store in Broomall and two others in Bucks County in Warrington and Langhorne.
There have been signs that a long-planned store in Northern Liberties, at the corner of Fifth and Spring Gardens streets, could become Amazon Fresh's first Philadelphia store. The company also had applied for a liquor license at a location in the Red Lion Plaza in Northeast Philadelphia, but Amazon Fresh has not said whether it still plans to open a store there.