Upmarket UK retailer Waitrose & Partners has announced plans to add 24 stores to its online delivery service network in the coming months.
The Waitrose store in Hailsham in East Sussex will be the first of the 24 to offer the service.
Presently, customers can avail of home delivery on online orders from approximately 150 Waitrose stores across the UK, which covers 84% of active UK postcodes.
Better Service
Digital director at Waitrose & Partners, Ben Stimson, said, "Adding online capability to these 24 more of our shops will mean we can reach even more of the country.
"Our teams at head office are working across our website and apps to make our service better, faster and more convenient," he added. "And our chefs and product developers will be launching or redeveloping more than 5000 of our own-label products this year."
The move aims to prepare the retailer to handle the increased demand for its online shopping service ahead of its split from Ocado.
From 1 September, Waitrose products will be exclusively sold online on Waitrose.com.
'Robust Plans'
“We have robust plans in place to extend our reach ahead of September. We have significant investment planned for the coming months across our infrastructure, website, and service - creating more delivery slots and employing a fleet of new drivers," Stimson added.
The retailer is working closely with stores that offer online services to increase the capacity to process orders.
In the coming months, the supermarket chain will open a new customer fulfilment centre in Enfield to respond to a surge in demand in London.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
