OREANDA-NEWS. Amazon is preparing to open the first grocery store of the new Fresh retail chain. It will test Amazon's smart carts that eliminate the need for shoppers to check out. The company announced this on its website. The store is located in Los Angeles and will open to invited shoppers this week and will open for everyone in the coming weeks.

By launching the Fresh retail chain, Amazon wants to enter a new grocery store market for itself and begins direct competition with the American grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons. Writes about this CNBC.

Fresh isn't Amazon's first foray into the grocery sector. In 2017, the company bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Whole Foods sells organic products without adding artificial ingredients. The chain has 514 stores in the USA, Canada and the UK.

The Fresh network will be the testing ground for Amazon's carts, which the company announced in July 2020. Each trolley is equipped with a display, cameras that recognize the food placed in it, and a balance. With such a cart, customers can make a purchase without going through the checkout: the amount is debited automatically, and the check is sent to their e-mail.

In addition to the Fresh store in Los Angeles, Amazon has three more locations in other US cities. However, they only serve online orders and shipping.