Morrison’s and Deliveroo have inked a deal that will allow shoppers to order from 70 essential food and household items for on-demand delivery in as little as 30 minutes.
The service will be available from more than 130 Morrisons stores across the UK and covers one in four households. Customers will be able to order on the Deliveroo app or website, with ‘contact-free’ delivery by riders. All items will be priced the same as Morrisons stores with a flat delivery fee of £4.99. The service will last for the duration of the crisis.
Morrisons Chief Executive David Potts says: “Our partnership with Deliveroo will help us to continue to play our full part in feeding the nation. Customers will be able to order essential products from Morrisons biked by Deliveroo to the door in as little as under 30 minutes. It’s a great combination of traditional and modern methods and it will provide more vulnerable people with the opportunity to receive their home delivery.”
Ajay Lakhwani, Vice President of New Business at Deliveroo, adds: “With families and vulnerable people in isolation, it is more important than ever that we make sure they have access to the essential household items they need. During this worrying period we want to play our role in making sure people have access to a range of items, in particular the vulnerable who cannot leave their homes. ”
Orders can be placed through the Deliveroo website, with the Morrisons delivery service set to be available before the end of the day today.
Andy Barr, retail expert and co-founder of online price tracking website, www.alertr.co.uk comments: “It’s great to see two such huge national brands, both high in demand during the current climate, joining together to make delivery services more accessible for those in the most vulnerable of positions regarding the Covid-19 virus. With a large majority of the UK population currently self-isolating in their households, many might be starting to feel as though supermarket trips – however infrequent they may be – are putting their health, or the health of their loved ones at risk.”
He adds: “There has been an abundance of media reports discussing how people up and down the UK are struggling to find supermarket delivery slots, and with such high demand and an increasing amount of pressure being put on delivery drivers, this genius collaboration will help to ease the burden on the top four supermarket, and put Britons minds at ease about where their next food shop is coming from.”
However, Barr warns: “As it stands, my only one concern is focused on the promise that all of the contact-free deliveries will be made in under 30-minutes. This certainly seems like a rather adventurous promise, particularly for a service just launching. Let’s be honest though, if people aren’t prepared to wait longer than 30 mins for a delivery of essential goods during a global pandemic, then they really need to rethink their priorities.”
