The firm has proposed the closure of 14 stores and the conversion of another five to the Whole Foods Market brand, a US chain Amazon acquired in 2017.
According to Retail Week, the proposals have put the jobs of some 250 people at risk. Amazon did not specify how many workers would lose their jobs in the closures take place.
Affected staff will now go through a consultation process, Retail Week added, and could be offered new roles elsewhere in the business.
Amazon opened its first Amazon Fresh store in the UK in west London in 2021, but has now said it plans to overhaul its grocery operation while maintaining relationships with partners Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op and Gopuff.
In June, the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) launched a targeted investigation into whether Amazon had breached the Groceries Supply Code of Practice by delaying payments to its suppliers.
The investigation came off the back of evidence the GCA received from a range of sources and will cover the extent to which this section of the code may have been breached.
“Delays in payment can significantly harm suppliers,” adjudicator Mark White said when the investigation was launched.
“The alleged delays could expose Amazon suppliers to excessive risk and unexpected costs, potentially affecting their ability to invest and innovate."
The firm is also a target of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement because it provides cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other technology services to the Israeli government and military, which is currently carrying out a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
