Aldi UK has made another tentative step into the grocery delivery market via a new partnership with Deliveroo.
Trials of its first on-demand delivery service began today from its Daleside Road store in Nottingham. This will be followed by a further seven stores across the East Midlands in June.
Customers are able to order from over 150 everyday items in the discounter’s range, such as bread, milk and fresh produce, through the Deliveroo app. These will be picked by Aldi staff in-store for delivery in as little as 30 minutes via Deliveroo’s network of riders.
If it proves successful, Aldi stated that the service could be rolled out to more of its 875 stores by the end of this year.
The trial follows the discounter’s recent move into online food parcels, which were introduced in April to help self-isolating and vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak. However, these were filled with a set selection of 22 essential food and household products, and cost £23.99 inclusive of delivery.
All the big four supermarket chains in the UK have been ramping-up their delivery operations to serve increased demand during the pandemic. However, up until last month, Aldi only sold wine & spirits and its ‘Specialbuys’ range of non-food items online.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK & Ireland, said: “We hope the new trial with Deliveroo will provide more customers with access to great quality, affordable food at Aldi.
“This is a new and exciting venture for Aldi and we will be constantly reviewing how we can best serve our customers and continue to provide them with the high quality products they are used to in store.”
Ajay Lakhwani, VP of New Business at Deliveroo added: “At Deliveroo, we are doing everything we can to make sure that people get the food they need and want during this unprecedented time. We are pleased to partner with Aldi and deliver even more choice to our customers as they continue to keep safe at home.”
The discounters have so far steered clear of offering a grocery delivery service in the UK due to the high costs of servicing orders. However, the recent rise in third-party delivery services could help Aldi and Lidl meet the growing demand for online grocery without the hefty investment in infrastructure or systems.
Aldi currently works with Instacart to offer deliveries in the US. Meanwhile, Lidl runs limited e-commerce operations in other markets and it has also introduced a rapid grocery delivery service in Ireland via a partnership with Buymie, a third-party courier operation.
NAM Implications:
- Deliveroo need the additional coverage via grocery…
- …in a race to critical mass.
- And Aldi have to benefit through getting closer to the consumer, fast.
- A win-win for all that climb aboard.
