Amazon is launching a competitor to Whole Foods, which it also owns

Amazon is hoping to open dozens of grocery stores in major U.S. cities, sources told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Its first location could be up and running by the end of the year in Los Angeles, writes the Journal, and leases have been signed for two other grocery locations with an expected opening of early 2020.

Amazon is no stranger to the grocery market, having bought the popular organic grocery store Whole Foods in 2017. The company also operates several checkout-free grocery stores across the U.S. in addition to an online grocery subscription and delivery service.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

The new grocery endeavor would be different from Whole Foods, reports MarketWatch, but it is unclear whether there will be overlap with Amazon's other grocery options.