Amazon Fresh grocery store sets opening date for Arlington Heights outpost

The much-anticipated Amazon Fresh grocery store in Arlington Heights will open to the public on July 25, the e-commerce giant announced Thursday.

At 325 E. Palatine Road, the 50,000-square-foot big box store will become the 10th supermarket in the retail giant’s Illinois portfolio, joining locations in Bloomingdale, Morton Grove, Norridge, North Riverside, Oak Lawn, Schaumburg, Westmont and two in Naperville.

The Arlington Heights store had been in limbo for the better part of two years, amid Amazon’s re-examination of its business model in the grocery industry.

But company officials declared their commitment to the brick-and-mortar grocery business in no uncertain terms on Thursday.

“Amazon already has a large online grocery business and millions of products available for fast delivery, but if you want to serve as many grocery needs as we do, you have to offer customers great selection, value, and convenience — not just online, but in physical stores too,” a company spokesman wrote in an email to the Daily Herald. “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.”

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