According to German Newspaper Bild, Amazon Fresh (the online grocer belonging to the American giant) will come to Germany in Spetember of this year.
Rumour has swelled for a long time about the imminent arrival of the Amazon Fresh service in both England and Germany.
Citing sources close to the matter, Bild says that four warehouses are currently being developed in Germany and Austria in preparation for the Amazon Fresh brand launch across Europe.
This however, goes against recent statements given by Ralf Kleber, President of Amazon Germany. Though Bild report that Amazon Germany has already established distribution centres and a fleet of delivery trucks in the country.
This will be Amazon’s first Fresh grocery operation outside of the US, where it is offered in Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
A statement by Amazon's UK President Doug Gurr in December added fuel to the rumors. "History suggests that once deployed in the United States, a new service leads to international expansion," he said.
Analysts at Mintel believe that the German market is a perfect match for Amazon's debut in Europe.
"Germans are poorly served by their major supermarkets online. Around half of the country’s total grocer sector sales go through no-frills discounters whose model does not offer a fit with online retail."
"Online grocery retailing remains in its infancy in Germany – but it needs a retailer to take it seriously and drive growth. Amazon is in a strong position to do this," say Mintel.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
