SAUGUS — More than seven months have passed since a sign went up along Route 1 advertising an Amazon Fresh location, few details are available about the status of the store and when it will open.
A spokesperson for Amazon on Tuesday declined to provide a specific opening date for the store and did not respond to questions regarding the status of the project. Local officials, however, provided come clarity into what has remained a murky situation.
Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano said the store was likely to open in the summertime.
Debra Panetta, the vice chair of the board, said technology is to blame for the store remaining shuttered.
Panetta said Director of Public Health John Fralick allowed the company to bring dry goods into the store to begin testing its sensors.
Panetta explained that customers who enter the Amazon Fresh store will be automatically signed into their Amazon accounts, enabling them to shop for groceries without needing to check out, as their accounts will be charged once they leave the location.
“This [proprietary] technology knows exactly what it is you are purchasing,” she said. “You can imagine the type of technology needed to be able to differentiate between an orange and a grapefruit, for example.”
Panetta said she was excited to check out the store once it finally opens its doors, adding that she’s heard the technology is “very impressive.” Once the technology issues are sorted out, Panetta said she believed “many residents will enjoy shopping in this state-of-the-art store.”
She also sought to reassure residents that town officials were keeping tabs on the location.
“The town is right on top of it,” Panetta added.
Jeannie Meredith, a member of the Planning Board, said she was told Amazon Fresh was set to open in the fall.
At one point, the Saugus location was set to be the first of its kind in New England, though that is now murky as plans for locations in Billerica, Braintree, Leominster, and Westborough were also mostly unclear.
The Amazon Fresh location is set to open at the former site of a Big Y, and appears to be mostly constructed at 357 Broadway.
