Amazon Fresh is making a notable return to expansion, recently opening a new store in Arlington Heights, a northwest Chicago suburb. Launched on July 25, this location, which occupies a former Dominick’s supermarket, is the 10th Amazon Fresh store in the Chicago market. The store features an extensive selection of grocery essentials, including fresh produce and prepared meals.

A central innovation in this store is the use of Amazon’s Dash Cart, a tech-enabled shopping cart that allows customers to scan items as they shop, effectively bypassing traditional checkout lines. This represents a strategic pivot; earlier this year, Amazon decided to remove its Just Walk Out technology from stores to concentrate on enhancing the user experience via smart carts.

To celebrate its opening, Amazon engaged the local community by offering gift cards to the first 100 shoppers, alongside a donation to a local food pantry, reinforcing its commitment to social responsibility.

Currently, Amazon operates 18 additional Fresh locations in California, along with stores in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington state. CEO Andy Jassy has expressed confidence in the future of the Amazon Fresh line, referring to the latest store as part of a new “V2” model designed for improved customer experience.

Further store openings are anticipated in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., indicating Amazon’s aggressive strategy to enhance its grocery retail presence. As the company prepares to report its second-quarter earnings on August 1, the market will be watching closely how these developments impact its growth trajectory in the competitive grocery sector.