Amazon to close five Virginia stores, cut nearly 700 jobs

Amazon plans to shutter five Northern Virginia grocery stores, laying off about 700 employees beginning April 27, according to a notice to the state dated Jan. 28.

The company announced last week it plans to close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores and convert a number of those locations into Whole Foods Market stores.

The Northern Virginia facilities slated for closure are located at 10360 Fairfax Blvd. in Fairfax; 7005 Manchester Blvd. in Franconia; 9409 Lorton Market St. in Lorton; 3801 Richmond Highway in Alexandria; and 5811 Crossroads Center Way in Falls Church, according to the notice, which was sent in compliance with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

About 124 workers each will lose their jobs in Franconia and Fairfax. Falls Church has about 134 affected employees, while Lorton has about 144. Alexandria has about 165 employees affected.

The Amazon Fresh banner — known for allowing customers to skip the checkout line when picking up groceries at brick-and-mortar stores — will continue to operate online in available areas, the company said.

The move is part of Amazon’s plan to open more than 100 new Whole Foods stores over the next few years as it bets on the upmarket grocery brand to help it better compete with retailers such as Walmart and Kroger, as well as delivery services like Instacart.

Last week, Amazon confirmed 16,000 corporate job cuts, in addition to the closing of its stores. The cuts are part of a broader goal under CEO Andy Jassy, who has been trying to reduce bureaucracy and abandon underperforming businesses.

In a statement Monday, Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said that, based on preliminary conversations with Amazon, the recently announced 16,000 corporate layoffs are unlikely to affect a significant number of employees at Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington. He noted the company is one of Arlington’s largest employers, with more than 8,000 employees at its MetPark campus.

“If local workers are affected by layoffs, Arlington offers support through the Arlington Employment Center, which provides services to job seekers,” he said.

The Amazon Fresh stores in Fairfax and Lorton opened in 2022. The one in Franconia opened May 27, 2021. Alexandria’s and Falls Church’s Amazon Fresh stores opened in 2024.

The WARN Act requires 60 days of advance notice, but Amazon is providing at least 90 days of notice. Employees who are not represented by a union can accept internal transfer opportunities, Amazon stated in the letter to the state.

The bulk of the jobs are retail store associate positions.

In March 2025, Amazon closed an Amazon Fresh store at 7807 Sudley Road in Manassas, impacting about 90 workers, according to a state notice.

Reuters and Virginia Business Associate Editor Josh Janney contributed to this report.