Co-op is ditching delivery partner Stuart, whose couriers have been delivering grocery orders for the retailer since 2021.
In a communication to couriers seen by The Grocer, Stuart states deliveries from Co-op stores will, from May 26, “no longer be available on the Stuart platform”. The partnership is understood to have covered more than 350 Co-op stores across 40 cities.
“While it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on the terms of specific partnerships,” a spokeswoman for Stuart said, “we are on a strong trajectory for 2025, which includes double-digit growth in the grocery sector.”
“We continue to collaborate with market leaders, and we remain committed to delivering the best service for our partners,” she added.
Co-op’s rapid delivery ambitions
The end of the relationship means Stuart will not play a role in Co-op’s ambition to capture close to a third of the store-to-door, rapid delivery market by 2027.
”Co-op is committed to growing its quick commerce operation, and regular reviews form part of this focus. Following a competitive tender process notice has been served to Stuart,” a spokesman for Co-op told The Grocer. ”Co-op continues to work with its online strategic partners to meet the needs of its shoppers for quick and convenient grocery delivery.”
As well as selling products on third-party platforms including Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Amazon Prime and Starship Technologies, Co-op also fulfils orders made via its own online shop using Uber’s white-label delivery offering Uber Direct.
The white-label delivery space has become more competitive this year after Deliveroo launched its white-label service Deliveroo Express last month, with Just Eat soon to launch its version Jet Go in the UK.
These launches are putting immense pressure on Stuart, industry sources said, since they provide better coverage of the UK, and potentially lower costs as “the platforms are happy to use white-label delivery as a loss leader”.
In its message to couriers, Stuart said it will “remain active” and retain its delivery partnerships with Sainsbury’s (Chop Chop) and Tesco (Whoosh).
Tesco Whoosh also uses Uber Direct to fulfil deliveries, and in April signed a deal with Deliveroo Express to handle rapid deliveries in Ireland on a four-store trial basis.
Stuart order volumes
Analysis by rider earnings app Rodeo last year found the volume of Stuart orders in London had fallen by up to 40% since 2023. Through 2023, Just Eat – which Rodeo determined accounted for the majority of Stuart’s deliveries – worked to phase out its reliance on Stuart, replacing the service with its own gig workers.
Stuart was founded in 2015 as a subsidiary of Geopost-owned DPD Group. The company says it operates millions of deliveries every month in more than 100 cities in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Italy.
In late 2023 it was acquired by Munich-based private equity holding company Mutares from Geopost.
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