Co-op has revealed its goal to grow its online business by 50 per cent to a valuation of around £300 million by the end of 2022.

The retailer already has online services available at more than 2,000 of its stores across the UK, and its next step is to launch ‘walking deliveries’ for homes and workplaces within 15-minutes of its stores.

Walking deliveries are set for an initial 200-store rollout in 2022 following successful trials in Cornwall.

Co-op estimates in its latest convenience report that its quick-commerce channel could become worth up to £3.3 billion in the UK alone.

Chris Conway, e-commerce director at Co-op, said: “Making shopping quick, easy and convenient for our members and customers is at the very heart of our approach; our aim is to be the most convenient home delivery service and we continue to innovate to meet the needs of consumers.”

Conway went on to acknowledge that ‘popping in’ to local stores would remain important for its customers – the continued development of online services is intended to complement the existing presence of Co-op stores.

A rising use of robots is reportedly another key part of Co-op’s service plans moving forward. In partnership with Starship Technologies, autonomous home delivery robots recently took to the streets of Cambridge, having already become an increasingly common sight in Milton Keynes where the scheme was first launched.

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