Yahoo Finance Waitrose expands Deliveroo tie-up and scraps its own two-hour service
Waitrose has ditched its two-hour home delivery service in favour of its Deliveroo tie-up.
The supermarket chain told customers on Monday that the Rapid service will end on May 28.
Launched three years ago, Rapid let customers order up to 25 items in less than 120 minutes for a £5 fee. It was initially available in eight areas in London and extended to other parts of the country such as Bath and Hove.
A spokesman said that too many locations, particularly in the capital, now overlapped, and Waitrose would focus solely on its partnership with Deliveroo. Areas that previously had the Rapid service are being prioritised in the rollout.
Hi Mike, we're closing down Rapid as we're going to be working more closely with Deliveroo going forward - Amelia
— Waitrose & Partners (@waitrose) May 10, 2021
Last month Waitrose expanded the deal with the takeaway firm to almost four times as many locations. The Deliveroo trial started in September and the new agreement is in place for two years.
Shoppers will be able to order from a range of between 750 to 1,000 products and have them delivered in as little as 20 minutes. Shops in Cheltenham, Lincoln, Exeter, York and Sheffield will be included in the expanded Deliveroo tie-up, which Waitrose said has helped to attract new and younger shoppers.
The rollout of the deal comes after Waitrose lost its longstanding relationship with Ocado last year when the online grocer switched to Marks & Spencer products.
Meanwhile, Ocado is beefing up its rival Zoom delivery in London. It is seeking to open at least 12 new micro sites, mostly in the capital, for its one-hour service. The first Ocado Zoom opened in Acton in 2019.
Sainsbury’s, too, has been expanding its speedy Chop Chop service despite partnerships with both Deliveroo and Uber Eats as customers increasingly seek convenience.
Waitrose declined to say how many grocery orders were placed a week through Rapid, but it said it had capacity for up to 7,000. The move would not result in job losses.
The orders were picked from stores and a depot in Coulsdon. Deliveroo orders will be delivered from stores.
The chain has had to significantly increase the number of home delivery slots on its website during the pandemic to keep up with requests from customers.
