It has been nearly three years since Amazon began its efforts to open a grocery store in the Lincoln Plaza shopping center off East Lincoln Highway, near the Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown Township. However, the Amazon Fresh store might be nearing an opening.
Several LevittownNow.com readers have reported observing activity inside the storefront. A reporter’s visit to the location revealed an electrical contractor working at the rear of the store.
Jim Ennis, Middletown Township’s director of building and zoning, mentioned that Amazon received permits in 2021 and the plans have “gone through numerous plan revisions since that time.”
“To the township’s knowledge, they are performing work that has received the necessary approvals and permits. The township does not know when they are planning to open,” he said.
While the façade has largely been completed since 2022, the interior was unfinished. Work slowed as Amazon Fresh paused their grocery rollout in recent years.
A brief look inside the store this week revealed shelving units, but the rest of the store remained unfinished.
An Amazon spokesperson stated he couldn’t specifically comment on the Middletown Township location.
”We’ll continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores, and will do so selectively with Amazon Fresh as we see results we like. We’re encouraged by early signs of our new store design in Chicago and Southern California, and will proceed adaptively,” said Griffin Buch, an Amazon spokesperson.
A source at Amazon informed this news organization that the company recently started hiring trainers focused on opening Amazon Fresh stores in the region.
Amazon recently announced plans to “continue to build out our physical presence” to complement their substantial online grocery business.
Last year, amidst Amazon’s restructuring of its grocery business, CEO Andy Jassy said the company was experimenting to determine the best store format for customers.
“We’ve decided over the last year or so that we’re not going to expand the physical fresh doors until we have that equation with differentiation and economic value that we like, but we’re optimistic that we’re going to find that,” Jassy said.
He added: “And when we do find that equation, we will expand it more expansively. But I think that we have a very significant opportunity in the grocery segment.”
Last summer, Amazon Fresh announced the rollout of redesigned stores in Chicago. The stores with the new design feature new departments, selections of grab-and-go foods, lower prices, and expanded product selections. These stores also include a Krispy Kreme location.
The company began updating Amazon Fresh stores in the Los Angeles area last fall after receiving positive feedback from customers in Chicago.
Currently, Amazon Fresh operates a store in Warrington Township, which opened in 2021.
The Bucks County Courier Times reported in April that the Bensalem Township store received permits for work in December 2023. As of this week, the store had not yet opened.
In 2021, the Amazon Fresh location in Middletown Township purchased the liquor license from the nearby closed Ground Round. This liquor license will allow the grocery store to sell beer and wine, setting it up to better compete with Giant Food Stores and Shop Rite.
