Amazon plans to open large physical retail stores in US: Report

News of Amazon.com Inc.’s department store plans sent a shudder through retail stocks just as some of the biggest names in the industry were reporting robust earnings, a signal that new challenges await in the beleaguered sector.
 

Amazon will open several physical locations that will compete with department stores, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. The first stores are expected to be located in Ohio and California and will be about 30,000 square feet in size, which would be smaller than the typical department store, the Journal reported.

Amazon declined to comment on the