Whole Foods CEO says grocery will turn Amazon from the ‘everything store’ into the ‘everyday store’

Jason Buechel, chief executive of Whole Foods and vice president of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores, says grocery could help reshape how customers use Amazon. The company has traditionally been associated with a broad range of products, but Buechel believes food can make the platform part of consumers’ daily routines.

Grocery at the center of Amazon’s next phase

Speaking in a Fortune CEO Source video segment, Buechel described the decisions involved in expanding Amazon’s grocery operations. The business generated more than $150 billion in sales last year, according to the source, underscoring the scale of the opportunity within Amazon’s broader retail activities.

“Amazon has been known as the everything store, and I believe with grocery we are going to be the everyday store,” Buechel said. He added that the objective is to drive “greater engagement,” extending beyond grocery and into the wider Amazon store.

Balancing convenience, technology and cost

Buechel’s comments point to the competing priorities facing Amazon as it develops its grocery business. Consumers may value convenience, new technology and low prices, but the relative importance of those factors is not straightforward. Meeting those expectations will require choices as Amazon expands its grocery offering.

The strategy matters because grocery purchases can bring customers back more frequently than occasional retail shopping. The source does not provide details on specific expansion plans or how Amazon will balance those priorities. For now, Buechel’s message is that grocery is intended to strengthen engagement across the company’s broader store, not operate as a separate category alone.

What comes next

Amazon’s grocery push remains a major part of its retail strategy. Buechel’s remarks frame the business as a potential bridge between Amazon’s wide product selection and more routine consumer shopping.