UK retail chain Waitrose has expanded its online grocery delivery via Uber Eats as part of a new multi-year partnerships with the home delivery specialist.
The partnership has launched on the Uber Eats platform in five initial London stores with plans to roll out to more than 200 stores, including shops in Wales and Scotland, by the end of August.
In a statement, the firms said Uber Eats customers will be able to order Waitrose products to be delivered in as little as 20 minutes growing Waitrose’s position in the on-demand grocery shopping market.
The move comes on the back of strong demand in the sector. In the first quarter of the year compared to last year Uber Eats reported to have seen gross bookings from supermarkets on its platform increase by almost 60%. Meanwhile, Waitrose said it has seen on-demand grocery orders grow by 40% compared with the previous year, a trend driven by young customers.
Rise in Third Parties
The partnership, which will include the supermarket’s key product ranges, builds on Waitrose’s current partnership with Deliveroo. Relationships with third parties has been a key strategy recently for supermarkets looking to expand into the convenience sector.
In March, Just Eat teamed up with British supermarket chain, Iceland Foods to provide “rapid” grocery delivery from the store’s locations across the UK via the Just Eat app. UberEats has now partnered with a several major supermarket chains including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Co-op,Iceland and Morrisons Daily.
On the latest announcement Alex Troughton, Head of Commerce at Uber Eats UK said: “We are delighted that Waitrose is joining the Uber Eats platform across the UK from today. Our partnership is the ultimate in modern day food shopping, combining the benefits of technology, convenience and speed with premium quality and huge product choice. It is the latest step in Uber Eats’ mission to help customers get anything they want, in a matter of minutes, at the touch of a button.”
James Bailey, Executive Director for Waitrose, added: “We want more and more people to enjoy the quality and taste of Waitrose products as and when they want it. On-demand grocery shopping continues to grow in popularity with our customers and partnering with Uber Eats means we have even more flexibility to be there for them whenever they need us.”
Image from John Lewis Partnership
