AMAZON BUILDS UP

Amazon has added nine new delivery stations in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic as stay-at-home orders forced the company to meet a significantly higher number of online purchases.

The New York Times reported Thursday that the new stations include a more than 1 million square foot building in Queens, which is expected to be Amazon’s largest New York station.

Amazon now has at least 12 delivery stations in five New York City boroughs and has also added more than two dozen centers in suburbs surrounding the city, according to the Times.

Across the pond, Amazon launched its first cashier-less physical grocery store outside of the U.S. in London on Thursday.

The e-commerce giant opened Amazon Fresh in Ealing, West London, that will utilize its “Just Walk Out Technology” that the company uses in 26 cashier-less stores in the U.S. under the brand Amazon Go.

The technology permits customers into the store once they use the phone application to scan a QR code. Then, consumers can fill their shopping bags and leave the store without waiting in line for checkout, as sensors and cameras track what items were chosen.