When Will the Amazon Fresh Store Open in Brookfield? Maybe Never
When the news broke that Amazon Fresh was coming to Brookfield, people went wild.
I've never seen such consumer anticipation in my life. Once the word was out, the public was craving any update on the progress of the construction. I know this because everyone of the staff members at my office wrote at least one article about Amazon Fresh, everyone of them performed well. The slightest mention of the store would also grab the attention of our radio audience.
A few months back, the updates slowed and eventually estimated timelines disappeared completely. That is why I was fascinated by an article from "The Real Deal", a real estate publication out of New York. The article was sent to me yesterday but was published back on December 21, 2022. The report shares some facts that may shed some light on when the Brookfield store may open. The Real Deal article says:
Amazon Fresh is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of several communities stuck with zombie stores, waiting indefinitely for them to open. Grocery stores that appear ready to open but sit closed are accumulating for Amazon, The Information reported. Local officials and landlords spread across the country are in the dark about whether the stores will ever open.
It goes on to say:
Since September, the company hasn’t opened a new Fresh store. There are at least seven locations that appear to be completely built out, but haven’t opened. There are another 26 locations in development and the fate of those projects is unclear.
The published report also points out, it's cheaper for Amazon to keep the properties empty than delete them altogether. When will the Brookfield Amazon Fresh store open? Maybe tomorrow, maybe never. I know people are excited but it's a bad sign that this type of delay is happening across the country.
The most amazing thing to me about this Amazon Fresh Store comes from the local leadership in Brookfield. Tara Carr is the First Selectman of Brookfield and a former Amazon employee. If anyone was going to know anything about when this store would open, it would be her. However, she doesn't know anything about the fate of the Brookfield store. We asked Carr about it on our sister station about a month ago. (12/7/22). Listen to her answer below.
In case you needed a reminder about how long this has gone on, check out this article. One of my colleagues wrote it and it was published in February of 2022. He was reporting Amazon Fresh could open in April, that's April of 2022.