Amazon retail stores coming to the UK?

The Gadget Show  Monday 07 December 2009

Is Amazon coming to the high street?

The Sunday Times has claimed online shopping giant Amazon is looking into supporting its web presence with a chain of physical high-street stores in the UK.

The newspaper reports the world’s biggest online retailer is planning “a surprise invasion” of the high street to cash in on the increasing popularity of “click-and-collect” shopping.

Amazon made its name selling books and CDs, but has since widened its business considerably. And according to a source quoted by the Sunday Times, “now [that] it has branched out into everything from children’s bikes to electricals it believes it could boost sales by having stores that offer a collection point for shoppers. It will probably be an Argos-style operation.”

More details on this mysterious source aren’t forthcoming, while Amazon itself seems to have nothing to say on the matter.

The Sunday Times does point out, however, that Amazon is going from strength to strength “just as the Borders book chain is shutting up shop” – seemingly trying very hard to suggest Amazon is looking at defunct Borders outlets without actually saying printing the words.