The e-commerce giant will open the first of a planned series of Amazon Fresh stores in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Woodland Hills this week. The store will initially welcome people by invitation only before opening to the general public. (The Logic)

Talking point: Amazon is expanding its physical footprint at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demise of struggling brick-and-mortar retailers. These stores are also part of Amazon’s playbook to compete against Walmart, which accounted for 26 per cent of U.S. grocery sales in 2017. Last quarter, Amazon said online grocery sales tripled year-over-year in the second quarter and it increased grocery delivery capacity by more than 160 per cent. Amazon Fresh incorporates a blend of in-store and online shopping, including a new feature called the Amazon Dash Cart that allows people to build lists of items via Alexa Shopping Lists before going into the store. The store also includes Amazon Echo Show devices so customers can ask Alexa for help to find items. Prime members get free, same-day delivery. Amazon has also been looking at establishing physical stores in the U.K.