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Amazon to open 10 stores in the UK, starting in Manchester today

by Mark Tyson on 3 June 2019, 12:11

Tags: Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)

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Amazon has announced that it will open 10 'Clicks and Mortar' stores across the UK. These are pop-up shops which will exist for a year for the purpose of this trial - so perhapsmuch longer if successful. The first of the stores to open its doors (today) is one located in St Mary's Gate in central Manchester. Amazon says it will follow up the Manchester store with Clicks and Mortar pop-up shops in Wales, Scotland, the Midlands, Yorkshire and across the South East.

Does it look chic or charity shop?

Amazon hasn't worked alone on this pop-up shop initiative in the UK. Partners include Enterprise Nation, Direct Line for Business, and Square. The pilot is thus quite a bit more than just a new version of Argos. In brief the pilot project will enable more than 100 small online businesses to sell on the high street for the first time, help small businesses upskill their workforce through a new £1m fund to train over 150 full-time apprentices, and provide free digital training at Amazon Academy events across the UK to help small businesses succeed online.

On that first point, giving emerging online-only brands with a physical presence on the UK high street, we are told that 100 such brands will gain showroom space at the Amazon UK Clicks and Mortar pop-up stores. For example, Swifty Scooters (foldable adult scooters), Torro Cases (leather device cases), and Altr for Men (skincare) will all benefit from a retail location where customers can visit and check out the products in person.

Despite its well known success story and size, Amazon hasn't had a 100 per cent track record with its ventures, particularly in bricks and mortar investments. For example, this Spring, it announced that it was shutting down 87 retail pop-up stores throughout the US. However, at the same time it decided further investments in physical bookstores and food retailers were worthwhile.



HEXUS Forums :: 15 Comments

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Mmm, mortars…. I like mortars!!
Evolution)Back to offline))
Ttaskmaster
Mmm, mortars…. I like mortars!!

At least these stores should open with a bang. A regular explosion of consumer choice. I'm shocked. Shell-shocked, that is. It's just a shame in the “round',
that the name ”Range" is already been taken. ;)

I'm expecting a ballistic incease in sales.

Sowwy. :D


More seriously, it's an interesting experiment, especially given the aspect of hosting a vatiety of small-scale businesses.


Will I use them? Highly doubtful, mainly because if there's 10, they'll presumably be in 10 large cities, which I loathe going into unless absolutely necessary. If they open one in any of several local towns, I'd pop in for a look-see and a rummage …. but I'm not holding my breath for that.
Moving from indirectly competing with what remains of the highstreet to directly.

Gone very light on the Amazon branding.
time to kill the competition .. last nail in the coffin