Skip to main content

Amazon may be close to opening its first cashier-free store outside U.S.

Amazon could be on the verge of opening its first cashier-free store outside of the U.S. after a report claimed the company has secured retail space for a location in central London.

We’ve known for several months that the company is looking to take its Amazon Go store beyond American shores, with a report last year suggesting it was looking at sites in the U.K.

Recommended Videos

But The Grocer’s report, published over the weekend, suggests the company has now chosen at least one spot in the heart of the capital city, though the specific location and opening date remain unknown.

Amazon Go aims to keep shopping simple, allowing you to just grab what you want and leave without spending any time at checkout. The store is packed with sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence technology that tracks you as you make your way around, with purchases automatically charged to your Amazon account when you walk out the door.

Seattle-based Amazon currently operates 10 Amazon Go stores across the U.S. — four in its home city, four in Chicago, and two in San Francisco. The first one opened in January 2018, and Digital Trends went along to try it out.

A report last fall claimed Amazon is planning to open as many as 3,000 Go stores across the U.S. by 2021, a move that would surely have serious ramifications not only for existing convenience stores, but also for quick-service food outlets.

Some of the planned Amazon Go stores could be for much smaller sites in places like airports, with Amazon already testing out such a format in Seattle. The trial store, which is currently only open to Amazon employees and their guests, covers 450 square feet, making it around a quarter of the size of its other locations.

Much larger stores may also be on the horizon, giving Amazon the chance to offer a much wider range of items beyond the snacks, drinks, and other basics that its current stores sell. It’s certainly possible that farther down the road, its technology could be incorporated into its Whole Foods stores.

In the meantime, we’re waiting for confirmation of Amazon Go’s London opening, which sounds like it could be just around the corner.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Amazon is planning to open its largest retail stores to date
Amazon logo on the headquarters building.

Amazon is planning to dramatically expand its brick-and-mortar footprint with the opening of large sites similar to department stores, a report claimed on Thursday, August 19.

The company that made its name with online shopping has in recent years taken a growing interest in physical outlets, opening bookstores, grocery stores, and premises selling its growing range of electronics, among other items.

Read more
TikTok says it’s here to stay; ban from U.S. app stores delayed to September 27
tiktok logo

TikTok claims that it is here to stay, shortly after President Donald Trump said that he has approved Oracle's proposed deal to acquire the video-sharing app's U.S. assets.

TikTok said on Twitter said that it is not going anywhere, while also uploading a short video message from interim CEO Vanessa Pappas.

Read more
Amazon Memorial Day sale 2025: The 35 best tech deals
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

The Amazon Memorial Day sale is already up and running, which means there are some amazing discounts available for all kinds of tech products. Whether you're looking for upgrades to your home entertainment setup, additions to your arsenal of mobile gadgets, or devices that will simply make life easier, there's surely something for you from the retailer's Memorial Day deals this year.

There's a chance that you get overwhelmed with the sheer number of offers from Amazon though. To help you decide what to buy, we've gathered the 35 best tech deals that we've found below. Read on and see if anything catches your eye, but you shouldn't take up too much time because we're not sure how much longer stocks will last for these products. It won't be a good idea to wait until the final minutes of the holiday before you make your purchases -- proceed with your transactions from Amazon's Memorial Day sale as soon as you can.

Read more