Amazon is reportedly planning to close all 87 of its pop up stores in the Unites States as part of a shake up of its physical store strategy.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision to close Amazon’s pop up store network, to focus resources on opening more book stores, would result in all closures being finalised by the end of April.

It comes as the e-commerce giant embarks on the next phase in its bricks-and-mortar strategy, which involves plans to extend its cashierless Amazon Go convenience store concept worldwide, including plans to purchase retail space for Go stores in London.

The pop up stores, which provided a showroom for Amazon’s own electrical and technology goods, as well as recent forays into fashion and other items, are understood to have been overshadowed by the marketing potential opened up by Amazon’s acquisition of the Whole Foods store chain in 2017.

Amazon confirmed it was planning to open additional ‘4 star’ stores, which sell only items rated four stars and above in online reviews on Amazon’s marketplace.

An Amazon spokesman told Retail Systems: "Across our Amazon network, we regularly evaluate our businesses to ensure we’re making thoughtful decisions around how we can best serve our customers.

"After much review, we came to the decision to discontinue our pop-up kiosk program, and are instead expanding Amazon Books and Amazon 4-star, where we provide a more comprehensive customer experience and broader selection.We look forward to opening additional locations of both stores this year."

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