Amazon 4-Star closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Amazon 4-Star store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has permanently closed. Amazon announced a few weeks ago that it would close all of its Amazon Books and Amazon 4-Star locations nationwide this year, and focus its bricks-and-mortar efforts on its grocery stores. Amazon Books closed at Bethesda Row last week.

Amazon 4-Star closing imminent at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Remember when I reported last week that Amazon would be closing all Amazon Books and Amazon 4-Star locations? The company did not give a timetable for the closures, saying it would post signage at each store when it was about to close. Well, that time is here at the Amazon 4-Star at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. This sign has just been posted at the store:

Amazon Books, Amazon 4-Star to close in Bethesda

Amazon Books at Bethesda Row and Amazon 4-Star at Westfield Montgomery Mall will close. The commerce giant announced yesterday that it would be closing its bricks-and-mortar book and 4-Star outlets nationwide. Amazon did not give a timeline for the closures, but said closing dates would be posted in each store when the time nears.

Amazon Books in particular always appeared to be yet another chance for the firm to observe customer behaviors and gather data, as opposed to a viable retail concept. The store was rarely busy with customers. But Amazon cited its desire to focus on physical grocery stores as the reason for the mass closures.

Amazon 4-Star store opens at Montgomery Mall

Amazon 4-Star has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The store, as the name suggests, consists primarily of products rated 4-stars and higher on Amazon.com. It also carries products that are either new, or considered buzzworthy by the company.

The 4-star store offers Prime prices to Prime members, but you don't have to be a Prime member to shop there. It also showcases Amazon hardware like Kindle, Fire tablets and Alexa-based home gadgets.

Besides books and electronics, departments include kitchen, housewares, toys and games. No grocery items are currently carried in Amazon 4-star stores, however. Amazon 4-star stores don't use the much-hyped Amazon "Just Walk Out" payment system, either.

Amazon 4-star is on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing, in the space recently vacated by Furniture Place.

New opening dates targeted for 7-Eleven, Amazon 4-Star, and LEGO Store at Montgomery Mall

The coronavirus pandemic has complicated almost every facet of life around the world, and new business openings have been among the biggest victims. 7-Eleven was on the eve of opening the doors of its new Westfield Montgomery Mall location when the virus arrived and the shutdown began. Now Westfield says that 7-Eleven is preparing for an early-July opening in the Dining Terrace at the mall.

Arrival of an Amazon 4-Star store has also been eagerly awaited by shoppers. That retailer of top-rated products carried by the internet commerce giant is now aiming for a late July opening.

Finally, perhaps the most highly-anticipated retail opening of the year in Bethesda is the LEGO Store at the mall. LEGO is now planning to open in late August, Westfield said yesterday.

Amazon 4-star store opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County didn't get the Amazon headquarters, but the retail giant will now open an Amazon 4-star store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda in 2020. Their 4-star store concept is what it sounds like - a selection of popular products rated 4-stars or higher on Amazon.com, top sellers, or new and buzzworthy.

The 4-star store will offer Prime prices to Prime members, but you won't have to be a Prime member to shop there. It will also, not surprisingly, showcase Amazon hardware like Kindle, Fire tablets and Alexa-based home gadgets. 

Besides books and electronics, departments will include kitchen, housewares, toys and games. No grocery items are currently carried in Amazon 4-star stores, however. Amazon 4-star stores don't use the much-hyped Amazon "Just Walk Out" payment system, either. 

Amazon 4-star will be on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing, in the space recently vacated by Furniture Place. It looked like Victoria's Secret was moving there, but it turns out that was an old VS sign uncovered when the furniture store sign was removed. Amazon 4-star will be in-between Intimissimi and Zara, below Stuart Weitzman, in one of the largest spaces in that wing of the mall.

The Amazon lease is another coup for the mall, which has been buffeted by a rash of closures in recent months. Westfield has bounced back quickly with coveted tenants like Amazon 4-star and Frank Pepe's Pizzeria. The latter shocked many when it chose the mall for its first pizza parlor outside of the northeast U.S., another sign of Westfield's long-term plans to upscale the property that began with the addition of ArcLight Cinemas, and will continue with an urban-style mixed-use addition off of the Sears wing later this decade.