Amazon Considers Buying Some Toys R Us Stores (bloomberg.com)

According to Bloomberg, Amazon has looked at the possibility of expanding its retail footprint by acquiring some locations from bankrupt Toys R Us. "The online giant isn't interested in maintaining the Toys R Us brand, but has considered using the soon-to-be-vacant spaces for its own purposes," reports Bloomberg. From the report: Such a move would let Amazon quickly expand its brick-and-mortar presence, coming on the heels of buying Whole Foods and its more than 450 locations last year. The Seattle-based company also has opened its own line of bookstores and a convenience-store concept. Additional stores would give Amazon space to showcase its popular Echo line of devices, which run on the Alexa voice-activated platform. Amazon sees voice as the next interface for people to access technology -- supplanting computer mouses and touch screens -- and the benefits may be easier to demonstrate in a real-world setting. A bigger network of stores would put inventory closer to where shoppers live, potentially enabling quick delivery to e-commerce customers. The space could also serve as a staging ground for grocery delivery from Whole Foods stores. Amazon is already planning to roll out free two-hour service to Whole Foods customers in four cities, including Dallas and Cincinnati.

Comments

Amazon will never stop!

[DontBeAMoran]

Even when they surpass Apple in 2019 as the biggest company in the world, they won't stop there!

Why settle for being #1 when there's a number even higher: Number Zero.

Amazon Zero: coming soon!

I don't want to grow up

[cstacy]

I'm an Amazon kid

My prediction

[93 Escort Wagon]

Amazon will purchase the buildings from Toys 'R' Us, but leave them empty. Then, whenever Bezos feels the need to have his power reaffirmed, he can just go to one of these locations and wander around the empty store telling himself "I DID THIS".