Amazon said a 'small number of roles' in Singapore will be impacted as it phases out local fulfillment including Amazon Fresh in the city-state. The move is part of a broader shift toward international e-commerce and prioritizes growing demand in Singapore for products sourced from overseas, Amazon said in a statement on May 7. Amazon Fresh and grocery partnerships with Little Farms and A.S. Watson Group will be discontinued from July 6, the company said in a separate email update to members. 'We're responding by increasing our investment in what customers tell us they want most,' said Peter Li, Amazon Singapore country manager — framing the change as a refocusing rather than a market exit.
The e-commerce giant is helping affected workers find new roles within the company and offering severance payments and career transition services for those who are unable to. Amazon said it's working to transition vendors and sellers to alternative ways to continue serving customers in Singapore and remains committed to the island. The company employs 2,500 people in Singapore across its retail, global selling, entertainment, devices and Amazon Web Services businesses. Amazon said in January it would cut 14,000 corporate retail roles globally; the Singapore decision aligns structurally with that broader trajectory.
From a supply chain perspective, the move signals along three axes. First, small-market economics: with 5.9 million population and 85%+ urban density, Singapore is theoretically ideal for last-mile fulfillment; but under pressure from local chains like FairPrice, Cold Storage, Sheng Siong and competitors RedMart (Lazada) and NTUC FoodPanda, Amazon Fresh's margin was insufficient — the market is geographically small but retail competition is intense. Second, cross-border switch: Amazon is pivoting from local fresh-food fulfillment to overseas-sourced product imports — meaning Singapore logistics will see rising small-parcel cross-border volumes through Changi airfreight and PSA container terminals; FedEx, DHL and Aramex positioning strengthens. Third, APAC supply map redraw: Amazon's Singapore decision marks a shift away from local-fulfillment investment in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong toward feeding markets via regional consolidation hubs in China / South Korea / Japan — a trend that also creates a reference scenario for Amazon TR fulfillment investments in Türkiye.
Key Takeaways:
1. Amazon will end local fulfillment, including Amazon Fresh, in Singapore from July 6; a small number of roles will be impacted.
2. Grocery partnerships with Little Farms and A.S. Watson Group will be discontinued; country manager Peter Li framed the move as refocusing rather than market exit.
3. The company employs 2,500 people in Singapore across retail, global selling, entertainment, devices and AWS; the bulk of headcount remains intact.
4. In January Amazon announced 14,000 global U.S. retail-corporate cuts; the Singapore decision aligns structurally with that trajectory.
5. The move signals an APAC pivot from local fulfillment investment toward regional consolidation hubs; it provides a reference scenario for Amazon TR's fulfillment posture in Türkiye.
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