Amazon Strengthens Brick-and-Mortar Portfolio

By Bogdan Odagescu, Associate Editor

290 East Exchange St., future location of Amazon@Akron

Akron, Ohio—In the context of recent discussions over the company’s plans regarding brick-and-mortar locations, Amazon announced the opening of Amazon@Akron, another store strategically located near a dense student area.

Announced for mid-2016, the new 2,000-square-feet pickup and return point will sit at 290 East Exchange St., minutes away from everything  at the University of Akron. This is Amazon’s second brick-and-mortar location in Ohio, after the recently opened facility one block away from the University of Cincinnati.

During the last few months, Amazon has also opened staffed pickup locations near Purdue University, U. of Massachusetts at Amherst, U. of California at Berkeley, and U. of California at Santa Barbara. Three more important locations are on the way, with University of Pennsylvania, U. of Texas at Austin, and U. of California, Davis announced for 2016.

Backing up the Amazon Student program, the retail giant’s set of new pickup stores comes as no surprise: the company is reaching out to universities through a pitch page outlining “convenient fulfillment and returns options, such as staffed customer order pickup and drop-off locations and Amazon Lockers, as well as Free One-Day Shipping benefits for students at your university.”

“Whether students are ordering course materials, electronics or mac and cheese, Amazon@Akron will provide a convenient and secure spot for them to pick up their stuff at hours that work with their schedules,” said Ripley MacDonald, director of Amazon Student Programs, in a prepared statement.

As with previously opened locations, Amazon@Akron will offer free one-day pickup for Amazon Student and Prime members.

Image via Google Maps