Waitrose & Partners is trialling a two hour or on the same day delivery service for customers in certain parts of London.

The supermarket has teamed up with last mile retail delivery startup On the dot to launch ‘Waitrose Rapid Delivery’ in selected postcodes – SW5, SW6 , SW10, WC1, WC2, EC1, CR5 and CR8.

Customers in these areas will be able to choose up to 20 items from more than 1,500 products. Before completing their order they will be given the option to receive their shopping within two hours of placing the order or to specify a one-hour time slot on the same day. There is a £10 minimum spend and a £5 charge will apply for using either service.

The trial is designed to respond to the increase in customers shopping ‘as and when’. According to research carried out for this year’s Waitrose Food Report, two thirds of shoppers regularly or occasionally visit a supermarket more than once a day. This trend is particularly prevalent among 18-to 24-year olds, who are twice as likely to regularly visit a supermarket twice a day as the over-55s.

Using On the dot cargo bikes as well as vans to make deliveries is predicted to save up to four tonnes of emissions a year.

Richard Ambler, head of business development at Waitrose & Partners, says: “For many, we have moved away from the weekly supermarket visit to give us more fluidity with our busy lives and give us better control against over-buying and waste.

“Our trips to the supermarket are therefore much more frequent - Waitrose Rapid Delivery ensures we give our customers even greater flexibility and convenience to get their shopping as and when they want it.”

Santosh Sahu, chief executive at On the dot, added: “The grocery sector is undergoing its biggest shift for decades – one where convenience and immediacy will win. Customers are shifting away from the routine of the big weekly shop – instead, time-poor and convenience-driven consumers are opting for ultra-fast deliveries of small baskets at a time that suits them.”

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