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Source: The Co-op

Co-op plans to capture close to a third of the store-to-door, rapid delivery market within the next four years, it has revealed.

The retailer’s ambition is to take 30% of the UK quick convenience market, which it defines as fast deliveries made from stores to customer homes.

The ambition came as Co-op announced it was raising the number of stores available for delivery on Just Eat to 1,000 by the end of this month, following a 50-store trial that started earlier this year. The retailer also estimated more than 80% of the UK population would have access to Co-op groceries online by the end of this year, through its own online shop and via its delivery partners.

As well as selling groceries directly via its own online shop – shop.coop.co.uk – Co-op sells products on third party platforms including Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Amazon Prime and Starship Technologies, the latter involving deliveries made from stores by autonomous robot.

“Co-op is combining its physical and digital routes to market stores to further expand and grow its online reach,” said Chris Conway, e-commerce director at Co-op.

“With our stores located in the heart of local communities, closer to where our members and customers live and work, we continually look to create increased flexible options online,” he added. “Our partnership with Just Eat continues to go from strength to strength, enabling Co-op to deliver further online choice with increased ease, speed and convenience, whenever and wherever our members and customers choose to shop with us.”

Last year, Co-op saw its online revenues grow by 24%, it said. The retailer added that it had a natural “strategic advantage” in quick commerce, given its stores were “located in the heart of communities”.