Tesco has begun working with rapid-delivery specialist Gorillas to offer customers the chance to have grocery products delivered within 10 minutes.
From today, Tesco products will be available to order on the Gorillas app in a selected area as part of a pilot scheme.
The deal with the German start-up will see micro-fulfilment sites set up at five large Tesco stores, where Gorillas staff will pick and pack orders, and then deliver them to customers by e-bike. The first fulfilment site will use excess warehouse space within the retailer’s Thornton Heath Tesco store and stock a selection of around 2,000 everyday products.
Whilst Tesco already delivers to 99.8% of UK postcodes, the retailer stated that the partnership will add another convenient service to its online offer, catering to those that want food for now.
Tesco has been rolling out its own rapid service called Whoosh, which offers deliveries within 60 minutes. This is now available from around 50 Express stores with roll-out to 100 stores by the end of the year.
“The idea that we can reach our customers in just ten minutes is really exciting,” said Jason Tarry, Tesco UK & ROI CEO.
“We are committed to being easily the most convenient choice for our customers, enabling them to shop whenever and however they want. This pilot with Gorillas will help customers get their products right away, supporting those looking to buy food for tonight or last-minute forgotten items.”
Berlin-based Gorillas has launched over 200 micro-fulfilment centres across nine countries in less than a year and a half, with it delivering 4.5 million orders in the past six months alone.
Adrian Frenzel, Gorillas COO, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing this first-of-its-kind commercial and real estate partnership with Tesco. As a fast-paced company at the forefront of the on-demand grocery industry, we are always looking for ways to innovate, and this co-location partnership will bring unprecedented value to our customers in the UK who will now have the possibility to be delivered the best of Tesco within minutes thanks to Gorillas.”
Faster, on-demand delivery is the latest frontier in the battle for grocery shoppers with other start-ups such as Weezy, Dija, Zapp, Jiffy, and Getir taking on established players like Deliveroo to capitalise on the surge in online shopping.
Earlier this month, Gorillas raised nearly $1bn in its latest funding round to support its ambitious expansion plans.
