Upmarket British food retailer Waitrose is trialling automated lockers for online grocery orders in off-site locations.
The first two temperature-controlled lockers are being tested at London underground stations at Chorleywood and Ickenham.
Another eight sets of lockers will be launched in the near future at more stations, along with Gatwick North and Gatwick South terminals' long-stay car parks.
The food orders are stored in ambient, chilled and frozen temperature-controlled lockers. The units can be refilled a number of times each day. Shoppers collect their shopping from the lockers by entering a security PIN code.
Speaking on the new online shopping innovation, Andrew Newton, e-commerce proposition development manager, said, “This reflects the changing way that our customers live and shop, with convenience a prime motivation for shoppers in the twenty-first century.”
Newton continued, “One of the dominant trends in retailing is the growth of the 'transumer', who wants to shop while they are on the go, and we hope this exciting innovation will appeal to those with busy lifestyles.”
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine
To receive ESM news directly in your inbox, send an email with the subject ‘ESM news sign-up’ to [email protected].
To subscribe to ESM magazine, please email [email protected].