Convenience retailer Co-op has introduced Peckish, a grocery delivery app which is designed to “offer a technologically advanced service to thousands of independent retailers looking to serve their customers and communities online”.
Peckish will enable small, often family-owned, independent grocery businesses, shops and other co-operative retail societies to provide an online grocery shopping and delivery service to their local customers.
Co-op said the Peckish app overcomes barriers that independent retailers face when moving to sell online, including cost, scale and resource. Peckish therefore allows smaller-scale bricks and mortar retailers to have a presence online, while enabling more consumers to shop local and support their high street stores.
Peckish will link with a retailer’s EPOS system, saving manual tasks such as pricing and stock control and management. Retailers who sign up will also receive a range of support including data, trends and insight from Co-op’s quick commerce team, point of sale material, window stickers, leaflets, shelf talkers, digital and social media assets, posters and banners.
The convenience retailer is making an initial £1mn investment for year one on Peckish, following a successful 30 store trial last year, and is targeting an ambitious first year sign up of over 1,000 stores, with potential to treble that by year three.
Matt Hood, Co-op Food managing director, said: “The growth and popularity of quick commerce in the UK is exceptional, as consumers appetite for a convenient grocery delivery service in as little as 30 minutes from ordering, increases almost weekly.
“We are experts in running small, local convenience shops and the leading quick comm operator, and I’m excited about being able to share this expertise with all our neighbouring independent retailers, to help them extend their customer reach and services online, which in turn, can help transform their businesses.
“We know that smaller local shops, like our own, operate at the heart of the local community life. More than a shop, they are a community hub, creating value locally through job creation, community participation and their support of local suppliers. The ‘shop local’ sentiment is strong amongst consumers, and Peckish can help more retailers connect quickly online with their customers, providing greater consumer choice locally, and promoting healthier and more viable high streets and communities.”
Co-op works across all the major quick commerce platforms – Deliveroo, Just Eats, Uber Eats. It estimates that more than 86% of the UK population have access to Co-op groceries online via its own online shop and its strategic partners.
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