waitrose delivery staff

Source: Waitrose

  • The figure was more than double the amount of weekly orders at the start of this year

  • Waitrose has been scaling up its online operation as it prepares for the end of its deal with Ocado

 

Waitrose has processed more than 150,000 online orders in a week for the first time, as its e-commerce offer continues to ramp up ahead of the supermarket’s deal with Ocado ending in September.

The figure was more than double the amount of weekly orders at the start of this year and represented a significant milestone in its online expansion plans, Waitrose said.

The retailer is also adding 150 new delivery vans to its fleet to give a boost to the number of delivery slots available in the coming weeks.

Demand for online food shopping has rocketed during the coronavirus crisis as millions of people across the country self-isolated and shielded while others sought to stay away from physical supermarkets.

Online grocery sales across the industry jumped 75% in the 12 weeks to 17 May as market share for e-commerce hit 11.5%, up from 7% before lockdown, according to the latest figures from Kantar.

Waitrose has been scaling up its online operation – which grew sales by 13% in the year ended 25 January 2019 – since the start of the year in preparation for going it alone when the long-time deal with Ocado ends in September.

“The expansion plans we had in place for Waitrose.com have allowed us to respond as best we can to the huge surge in demand in recent months – especially from vulnerable groups who need home delivery services,” said Waitrose online director Ben Stimson.

“We’re seeing a fundamental shift to many people’s shopping habits, and we’re incredibly proud of how our shops have scaled up our online operations at such speed.”

In February, the business announced a further 24 shops would be added to the online model before 1 September. Three of these 24 shops are set to go live with a delivery service this week.

Almost 90% of active UK postcodes can now order from Waitrose.com, with 173 shops delivering online orders and 26 of these processing more than 1,000 orders each week.

In May, the supermarket opened a new customer fulfilment centre in north London to help double online orders in the capital.

Despite the rapid expansion, demand for online slots was still outstripping supply, Waitrose said.The retailer is also adding 150 new delivery vans to its fleet to give a boost to the number of delivery slots available