Waitrose is trialling temperature-controlled lockers at ten locations around the UK.
The supermarket’s click-and-collect grocery orders can already be picked up at automated, temperature-controlled lockers at London Underground stations in Chorleywood and Ickenham. Eight more will launch at sites including further London Underground stations and at Gatwick Airport long stay car parks.
Customers place their orders via the Waitrose website or through its smartphone app. Once orders are delivered to the lockers, where food can be stored frozen or chilled, they drive up to the locker and enter a PIN sent via text message to collect their shopping. Orders placed before 11.45am can be collected from the next day, and the service is free for orders above a set amount.
Andrew Newton, Waitrose ecommerce proposition development manager, said: “This reflects the changing way that our customers live and shop, with convenience a prime motivation for shoppers in the 21st century. One of the dominant trends in retailing is the growth of the ‘transumer’ who wants to shop while they are on the go, and we hope this exciting innovation will appeal to those with busy lifestyles.”
The trial will last for a year. As with all online orders, click-and-collect orders are fulfilled either from Waitrose’s dotcom fulfilment centre in Acton, West London, or from branches around the country.
