Germany: Amazon Fresh to launch this year – reports

Online grocery service Amazon Fresh could be set to be rolled out in Germany by the end of 2014, according to media reports.

A German version of Amazon Fresh – a subsidiary of the multinational online retailer focused on fresh produce –  would compete with existing online retailers by offering products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products for home delivery. The service could be available as soon as this September, according to speculation.

Quoting a report from the German newspaper Bild, Lebensmittel Praxis reports that Amazon already has a network of warehouses and logistics services in at least four locations across Germany, Austria and neighbouring countries. To support the launch, a dedicated team would be created, with training provided by counterparts in the USA, where Amazon Fresh has been operating since 2007.

Karsten Schaal, founder and CEO of the online retailer Food.de – a likely competitor for the Amazon Fresh service – took a positive view of the move. "Amazon's decision to expand into online groceries in Germany shows that consumer scepticism about using an online service for their supermarket shopping is decreasing", he said.

Source: Lebensmittel Praxis