New York, Jan 20, 2026, 05:08 EST — Premarket
- Amazon shares ticked up 0.4% in premarket action, hitting $239.12.
- Amazon rolled out “Amazon Now,” a pilot offering 30-minute delivery for groceries and household essentials in select areas of London.
- A Chicago suburb gave the green light to a major Amazon retail store. Meanwhile, AWS identified a service issue and has since resolved it.
Amazon.com shares edged up in premarket trading Tuesday as investors digested new moves signaling the company’s push for speed — quicker grocery delivery in London and an expanded physical-store presence around Chicago.
The moves matter because Amazon has been pushing to capture more everyday spending within its ecosystem. Frequent, low-ticket orders help boost Prime retention and ad revenue, but they also challenge the cost structure if delivery density falls short.
These come precisely as traders jump on any sign of stress, particularly at Amazon Web Services — the cloud division that bankrolls massive spending in retail and logistics.
Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Now in Britain, a rapid delivery service promising to bring “thousands of groceries and household essentials” within roughly 30 minutes. The initial rollout targets parts of Southwark in London, with expansion plans set for the coming months. “Amazon Now brings a new level of speed and convenience to customers, delivering thousands of groceries and household essentials in less than 30 minutes,” said UK country manager John Boumphrey. (About Amazon UK)
Near Chicago, Orland Park’s village board gave the green light to an Amazon retail and warehouse project. Local officials stressed it’s more of a large store than a fulfillment center. Amazon aims to break ground as soon as April and wrap up construction within two years. Mayor James Dodge told ABC7, “This is a large store.” (ABC7 Chicago)
This move places Amazon squarely alongside big-box giants like Walmart, while it races to maintain delivery speeds that rival app-based grocery and convenience services.
AWS provided an update Monday on network connectivity problems affecting services like DynamoDB. The company later confirmed the issue was fixed and systems returned to normal. (Amazon)
Speed comes at a cost. Ultra-fast delivery may boost order frequency, but it also squeezes margins when labor, routing, and inventory placement fail to scale smoothly — and any further cloud outages risk heightened scrutiny because AWS plays such a big role in profits.
Amazon’s upcoming quarterly report is the next major event for investors. The company hasn’t officially set a date on its events calendar yet, but Wall Street earnings trackers are targeting Feb. 5 after the market closes—a date that could still change. (Wallstreethorizon)
