Online powerhouse Amazon is on the hunt for UK retail properties for its checkout-free grocery arm, Amazon Go.
Amazon is seeking a “significant number” of premises of between 4,000 sq ft and 5,000 sq ft for convenience business Go, according to The Sunday Times.
At present there are four Amazon Go branches in the US and the name was trademarked in Britain in 2016.
Go stores use technology to monitor and tot up shoppers’ purchases and they are automatically billed when they leave.
A push by Amazon onto the high street would potentially pile further pressure on established retailers, many of which have struggled to adapt to the rise of online and multichannel shopping.
Amazon bought grocery specialist Whole Foods last year, but it only has a handful of shops here, where the etailer is determined to build a food business of scale and has struck supply deals with retailers such as Morrisons.
Amazon has shown itself to be increasingly interested in bricks-and-mortar shops. In the US last week it unveiled Amazon 4-star, which sells products with at least four-star reviews on its website.
Last month Bloomberg reported that according to people familiar with the matter, Amazon was considering a plan to open as many as 3,000 new Amazon Go stores in the next few years.
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