Major UK grocery store makes enormous ‘everlasting’ change to widespread service at a number of shops
Waitrose has permanently extended its rapid grocery delivery hours at 35 stores across the UK, with most branches now delivering until midnight and some offering a full 24-hour service
Waitrose has made a permanent change (stock)(Image: yujie chen via Getty Images)
Waitrose makes major change to delivery hours across UK stores. Waitrose has made permanent extended rapid grocery delivery hours at 35 stores nationwide.
Most participating branches will now complete orders until midnight, while selected high-demand locations will provide deliveries around the clock. Shoppers will be able to request fresh ingredients, ready meals, snacks and household essentials via Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.
Orders can be delivered in as little as 20 minutes, though availability and delivery times will vary depending on the customer’s location and selected platform, as reported by creatorzine. com.
It follows a sucessful trial(Image: georgeclerk via Getty Images)
The alteration only affects rapid deliveries made via the three partner apps and does not mean the physical supermarkets will stay open later. Alcohol will also not be available for delivery beyond each shop’s normal licensed trading hours.
The permanent extension follows a temporary trial launched during the FIFA World Cup. Waitrose expanded delivery hours at more than 50 stores across England and Scotland for four weeks from June 23.
Most participating locations delivered until midnight, while some provided a round-the-clock service to accommodate matches starting late at night or early in the morning due to the time difference with North America.
Waitrose said orders surged by 17% during England’s match against Croatia and ahead of Scotland’s game against Morocco. Waitrose originally stated the extended service might roll out to additional sites if it gained traction.
The retailer revealed that shoppers kept placing orders during the extra hours even once the football fixtures had concluded. It has now chosen to maintain the prolonged delivery slots at 35 branches.
Customers can verify whether their closest participating store is included by looking up Waitrose on the Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat platforms. The swift service provides thousands of Waitrose and branded items, covering fresh produce, vegetables, meat, milk, prepared meals, personal care products and household cleaning necessities.
Laura Burbedge, director of online at Waitrose, said: “The World Cup proved that our food-loving customers value the flexibility of shopping at Waitrose whenever they need us. By extending our delivery windows, we’re making it even more convenient to access the delicious, high-quality food our customers love.”
The chain runs approximately 320 outlets and has kept broadening its footprint across third-party delivery services as appetite for quick grocery deliveries increases. Patrons visiting the participating outlets in person will still be required to shop during their standard published trading times.
