Waitrose and Deliveroo strike a 2 year deal for rapid home grocery deliveries, creating up to 400 jobs

(qlmbusinessnews.com via theguardian.com – – Tue, 27th Apr, 2021) London, Uk – –

Supermarket chain to offer grocery delivery service at 150 shops across the UK by the end of the summer

Waitrose and Deliveroo have struck a two-year partnership for rapid home grocery deliveries after a successful trial of the service.

Waitrose said it would expand its Deliveroo service from 40 to 150 shops across the country by the end of the summer, delivering food to about 13 million people. The move is expected to create 400 new jobs at Waitrose shops, to fulfil orders ready to be collected and delivered by Deliveroo.

Sales of Waitrose products through Deliveroo have been strong and this has helped to attract new and younger customers,as it battles with its rival Marks & Spencer. Last year, the online grocer Ocado parted ways with Waitrose after almost two decades together and switched to selling M&S food.

Customers will be able to order from an increased range of 750 to 1,000 products and have them delivered in 20 minutes from Waitrose shops from London to Scotland. New locations on Deliveroo will include shops in Cheltenham, Lincoln, Exeter, York and Sheffield.

The expanded range includes “free from” products, dairy alternatives, vegan foods, flowers and gifts, steak dinners and treats such as profiteroles and prosecco, as well as meals for seasonal occasions.https://www.theguardian.com/email/form/plaintone/business-todaySign up to the daily Business Today email

James Bailey, the executive director for Waitrose, which is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, said:We have grown our online business at pace in the last year, responding to huge demand for online groceries and offering more choice in when and how people want to shop with us.”

The two-year partnership comes after Deliveroo’s eagerly awaited stock market flotation on 31 March turned out to be a flop, with the shares falling by 26%. Deliveroo is under pressure to reverse mounting losses and to improve employment rights for its riders.

Carlo Mocci, the chief business officer for the UK & Ireland at Deliveroo, said the partnership would create more work for riders across the UK: Waitrose is one of the most respected and loved British companies and we are proud to expand the extremely popular Waitrose service on Deliveroo.”

By Julia Kollewe

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