D.C. Area's First Amazon Fresh Grocery Store Opens In Northern Virginia
Amazon has opened the first location of its grocery store concept in the D.C. area, with several more in the works.
Customers lined up as early as 4 a.m. Thursday for the opening of the Amazon Fresh store in Franconia, Virginia, NBC Washington reported.
The 30K SF store features a selection of grocery items and prepared foods, and it has technology that allows customers to scan a QR code in the Amazon app and add items to their Amazon Dash Cart, which tracks purchases and charges customers' cards when they leave the store.
The store is occupying part of a former Shoppers location at the Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center, which sits at the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and Franconia-Springfield Parkway.
Dochter & Alexander Retail Advisors' Dave Dochter, Matt Alexander and Logan Chambers represented Amazon in the deal, and the team is working with the company on its expansion in the region.
“We continue to work diligently on identifying the right opportunities and we are beyond excited that the greater Washington D.C. market gets to experience this truly game-changing grocery store," Dochter wrote in a statement to Bisnow.
Amazon has four additional locations of the concept planned in the D.C. suburbs of Fairfax City, Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg and Bailey's Crossroads, the Washington Business Journal reported.
The company also has two of its smaller Amazon Go stores planned in the District. These locations are slated for the Liz development at 1701 14th St. NW, where Amazon has begun hiring, and at the Avec development at 901 H St. NE, the WBJ reported.
The opening of Amazon stores is part of a larger expansion of the D.C.-area grocery store market, one of the lone bright spots for retail during the coronavirus pandemic. Other growing grocers in the region include Wegmans, Aldi, Lidl, Union Kitchen and Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon.
UPDATE, MAY 27, 5:05 P.M. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Dochter & Alexander Retail Advisors' Dave Dochter.
