Co-op is expanding its on-demand online home delivery service through a partnership with Uber Eats.
The deal means shoppers will be able to order groceries via the Uber Eats app from around 1,000 Co-op food stores by the end of the year, with deliveries in as little as 30 minutes. A phased roll-out got underway this week, with users of the Uber Eats app able to choose from over 6,000 products stocked in Co-op stores.
The Co-op’s online offer has grown at pace through both its own online shop – which it launched and 2019 – and with partners that also include Deliveroo. It has seen over 40 consecutive months of growth, with ambitions to increase its online business to £300m this year.
Chris Conway, Co-op’s eCommerce Director, said: “We are committed to offering quality and value with Co-op’s ease, speed and convenience. As a convenience retailer, we know the ability to pop into a local Co-op will always be important to customers, but we also know that fast and flexible options online are important to shoppers too – and so by using our stores located in the heart of communities to provide rapid home deliveries, we can meet customer needs and make shopping easier, however, wherever and whenever our Members and customers choose to shop with us.”
Alex Troughton, Head of Commerce at Uber Eats UK, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Co-op, one of the most popular grocery retailers in the UK. Our mission is to be the platform of choice across the UK, and with this partnership, more customers will be able to order all their grocery needs at the touch of the button.”
NAM Implications:
- Keeping in mind that online fulfilment is unprofitable…
- …without high-density coverage and high delivery fees/minimum orders, and then some.
- So the more Co-op online grows, the less profitable its overall business…
