Amazon Fresh Adds First New Jersey Store, Expands in SoCal

Amazon is continuing to expand its Amazon Fresh store count, with new stores arriving on both coasts.

First covered by Store Brands’ sister publication Progressive Grocer, the first Amazon Fresh store in the state of New Jersey, located in Paramus at 30 E. Ridgewood Ave., opened this week. Amazon also unveiled a location in Encino, Calif., at 16325 Ventura Blvd, northwest of Los Angeles. Amazon Fresh most recently expanded its presence in both Southern California and Virginia.

Customers can enjoy a frictionless experience at both sites with Amazon’s Just Walk Out shopping technology that allows them to skip checkout. As with other Amazon Fresh stores, the new locations offer a broad assortment of groceries, including from private brands, and prepared foods like made-to-order pizzas and brisket panini sandwiches.

Starting wages are $15 an hour for workers at the Paramus store (40,000 square feet) and $16.40 at the Encino store (44,000 square feet). In addition to providing local jobs, Amazon is supporting its new communities by donating surplus food to nearby food banks.

The new openings bring the total number of Amazon Fresh locations to 39.