Amazon Fresh sets Potomac Yard opening date

The newest D.C.-area Amazon Fresh store will open at Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 25 in a former Shoppers Food Warehouse space.

It will be the seventh Amazon Fresh store open in the D.C. area, though it closed smaller Fresh stores in D.C.’s Logan Circle and Crystal City in Arlington earlier this year. Other existing Amazon Fresh stores are in Fairfax, Franconia, Lorton and Manassas in Northern Virginia, and two locations in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The 50,000-square-foot Potomac Yard Amazon Fresh, at 3801 Richmond Highway, will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Amazon Fresh has 42 locations in eight states, the majority of them in California and the Chicago area. Amazon also owns Whole Foods, which has close to 500 stores in the U.S. and more than a dozen in the D.C. area.

Amazon has slowed the rollout of new Amazon Fresh stores as it works to find the right mix of products, services and technology. Stores include a mix of Dash Carts, with touchscreens that help shoppers navigate stores, Alexa kiosks and its Amazon One palm-reading technology for payments.

Amazon Fresh stores are as much online grocery order-fulfillment centers as they are grocery stores with shoppers likely to see multiple order fillers and delivery drivers sharing the aisle with them.

“We remain committed to grocery, and will selectively open new Amazon Fresh stores as we see positive customer feedback on the new format, as well as continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores,” Amazon said in a statement.

The Potomac Yard Amazon Fresh is near the $1 billion Virginia Tech innovation campus currently under construction. It joins other retailers at Potomac Yard, including T.J. Maxx, Total Wine, Target, Staples, PetSmart, Old Navy, J. Crew Factory, Men’s Wearhouse, Home Goods, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble, as well as several restaurants.

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