Waitrose is extending its on-demand delivery hours for the rest of the World Cup, having already witness a major spike in demand ahead of England and Scotland matches.
The retailer said the expanded hours would be available from more than 50 stores across England and Scotland. Most of these will operate on-demand deliveries until midnight, while some will operate 24/7.
While no alcohol will be available beyond existing store opening times, the extension will allow shoppers to buy a wide variety of grocery items including pizzas and snacks, as well as breakfast ingredients.
Last week orders spiked by 17% ahead of England’s game with Croatia and Scotland versus Morocco.
There had been a big spike in searches for food options on Waitrose.com, the retailer said. This included ‘No.1 pizza’ up 1,700%, ‘deli & dips’ up 156%, ’football cake’ up 210% and ‘World Cup crisps’ up 1,400%.
The window extension could also be extended to more stores, depending on demand, it added.
The slots will be available through Waitrose’s strategic partnerships with delivery platforms Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.
“Whether you’re glued to the screen for a midnight thriller, need a snack to sustain you through a penalty shoot-out or up with the lark for a pre-dawn kick-off, footy fans will have everything they need at hand,” said Waitrose director of online Laura Burbedge.
“We’re making sure that whether you need a half-time pizza or a full breakfast spread to celebrate the final whistle, our delivery partners are on hand to keep your fridge stocked throughout the tournament.”
Other retailers that have also extended their delivery windows to cater for football fans include Asda, which has also launched specific delivery-only promotions.
Co‑op is extending its online opening hours across 180 stores on England and Scotland matchdays.
The convenience retailer said home deliveries would run up to an hour after the final whistle for all six group stage matches.
Last week Ocado announced the launch of half-time bundles, which include products like pork pies, English breakfast tea and Mexican beef tacos.
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