HelloFresh is trialling operating its own UK delivery fleet as it looks to give its customers more control over when they receive their meal boxes.
The online meal box retailer will initially run its own-brand delivery service out of the Beehive distribution centre in Nuneaton for customers in the Birmingham and West Midlands area. They will be able to choose a 30 minute delivery slot, with a simpler process for arranging a second delivery if the first is unsuccessful.
Berlin-based HelloFresh, which already delivers directly to customers in four European markets and Australia, says the investment in its own delivery network puts the customer at the centre of the business. The approach, it says, will enable it to promise more reliable and flexible deliveries, by in-house trained staff, while managing changes in demand.
Sarah Norman, chief operating officer of HelloFresh, says: “Our mission is to change the way people eat forever – empowering our customers to make choices that are right for them. Building our own last mile solution is an important step to further deliver this promise. This will allow us unprecedented contact with our customers and put further control in their hands, deciding when they want their deliveries to be made. I look forward to learning from this trial to further optimise the service we provide to our customers.”
The trial uses HelloFresh’s own refrigerated vehicles, allowing it to cut down on packaging such as insulation and ice packs. The company says this, together with an overall reduction in van miles, will contribute to its sustainability strategy.
HelloFresh was founded in Berlin in 2011 and today operates in 18 markets. In the third-quarter of its 2022 financial year, it delivered 243m meals to 7.5m active customers.
