After a period of speculation among observers, Amazon has taken steps to launch a new big-box retail concept in the Chicago area.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported Amazon won local approval from the town of Orland Park, IL, for an approximately 230,000-square-foot store that will offer shoppers general merchandise, household items and groceries.
In response to a query from HomePage News, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed the company was moving forward with the new physical store concept at the Chicago-area location as part of its effort to serve customers in more ways. “We regularly test new experiences designed to make customers’ lives better and easier every day, including physical stores. The site in question is our planned location for a new concept that we think customers will be excited about,” the spokesperson told HomePage News.
The Chicago area is a popular place for retailers launching new retail concepts, with Wayfair being a recent example among general merchandise retailers. A little more than a decade earlier, Meijer launched its Marketplace store concept in Chicago’s Melrose Park suburb, not long after debuting a smaller variation of its supercenter format in Niles and Orland Park. Within its existing store portfolio, Amazon recently expanded its Dash Cart self-checkout device to Whole Foods Market. Dash Carts have been in operation at the company’s Amazon Fresh stores. Dash Cart incorporates a shopping cart-mounted dashboard that shoppers can use to scan products and pay, so they don’t have to visit a check stand. The Dash Cart rolling out in Whole Foods is an updated version with a basket cart and an easier-to-use dashboard.
Amazon didn’t name the new store concept, suggesting it’s still a work in progress. As the company rolls forward with new initiatives generally, reports indicate Amazon hopes to launch the new Chicagoland store in late 2027.
